The Indian traditional system of medicine prescribed plant therapies for diseases including diabetes mellitus. One such plant is Syzygium alternifolium (SA). We reported earlier, that fraction C from aqueous extract of SA seeds showed good antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities. In continuation to it, we have performed bioassay guided fractionation of fraction C and identified cinnamic acid as a component with antihyperglycemic activity. A detailed study was undertaken to elucidate its mode of antidiabetic action by giving fraction C (50 mg/kgb.w) orally, once a day for 30 days in STZ induced diabetic rats. The altered enzyme activities of carbohydrate metabolism in liver and kidney of diabetic rats were significantly (p<0.01) reverted to near normal levels by the administration of fraction C. Fraction C lowered blood glucose as expected, immediately following treatment, and led to glibenclamide-like modulatory effects on enzyme activities related to glucose homeostasis after 30 days treatment, indicating that cinnamic acid may prove useful in diabetes management.
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