Antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities of Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) rhizome extract

Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) (Araceae), a coarse and erect plant that is widely cultivated to be eaten as a vegetable throughout Bangladesh, has been reported to possess a number of medicinal properties. The antihyperglycemic, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects of the methanol extract of A. macrorrhizos rhizomes were investigated. The extract was given at a single dose (250 and 500 mg/kg) in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice. The extract at 500 mg/kg produced a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the blood glucose level (55.49%) at 8 h of treatment when compared with the control and was comparable with the reference drug, metformin. The extract was also subjected to antioxidant potentiality and brine shrimp lethality bioassays. The IC50 value of the extract was 693.0 mu g/mL and the LC50 was 188.14 mu g/mL.