Comprehensive Review on Phytopharmacological Potential of

Gymnema sylvestre

Amiza*, Ghazala Yaseen, Dr. Sammia Shahid

Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: F2019140008@umt.edu.pk

ABSTRACT:

Therapeutic plants are of great interest as revolutionizing therapeutic agents in recent years for the treatment of several diseases. Gymnema sylvestre is commonly cultivated in India, member of the Apocynaceae family and also distributed in the various regions of Asia, Australia and Africa. It is extensively used in the Ayurvedic and traditional drug system, also it is the most promising plant used to cure diabetes mellitus. It is used as sweet paralyzing agent due to the existence of important phytochemicals constituents like gurmarin, gymnemic acids and gymneasaponins. It explore a wide range of health-giving effects as an effectualnatural remedy for diabetes, bronchitis and leukodema. It has been reported that G.sylestre has anti-diabetes, anti-obesity, antiviral, antidote of snake venom, anti-microbial and hypolipidaemic activities. This review has explore different phytochemicals as well as pharmacological potential of G.sylvestre.

KEYWORDS: Gymnema sylvestre, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Diabetes mellitus Therapeutic effects.

INTRODUCTION:

Plants are considered as natural factories for the production of primary and secondary metabolites. Natural products are of great pharmaceutical importance as they are source of glycoside, alkaloids, flavonoids, and volatile oils etc¹. According to WHO (World Health Organization) it is estimated that 21,000 plants have medicinal properties². Gymnema Sylvestreis a medicinal plant having attracting background in Indian Ayuervedic traditional medicine. It has antidiabetic properties and used to cure diabetes mellitus type II³.

Allopathic drugs administration impose severe side effects such as hypoglycemia, flatulence, joint pain, dizziness, headache, weight gain, dyspepsia, constipation, nausea, alcohol flush and hyponatremia. Hence, herbal medicines are analternative of allopathic medicines as they are considered to be safe and effective agents imposing less health risks⁴.

It is usually known as ‘Gurmar’or sugar destroyer’ because its leaves chewing has capability to destroy the sweet taste⁵. Its sweet suppressing components have a mixture of triterpenes and saponins⁶. These constituents reduce the craving for sweet⁷. It possesses variety of bioactive compounds⁸. Gymnema sylvestre (perennial woody vine)belongs to family Apocynaceae under the Genus ‘gymnema’⁹. G.sylvestre has slow growth, woody hiker andnative plant of India, exist at an altitude of 300-700m. It also distributed throughout Asia, tropical Africa, Malaysia and Srilanka¹⁰. Its existence is reported in Banda, Konkan, Western, Chats, and Deccan leads to the part of the northern and western India, in Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Uttarpradesh¹¹. It is known by common name as Gymnema, Cowplant, gurmar, meshasringo and miracle fruit¹². Gymnema sylvestre contains a variety of chemical constituents, Gymnemic acids I-VI are the most important chemical agents these were first reported in plant leaves⁷. Gymnemic acid has anti-diabetic, anti-sweet and anti-inflammatory activities. Gymnema sylvestre is an excellent antidiabetic plant which is used to cure asthma, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolemia, cardiopathy, eye discomfort, family planning, snakebite, stomachache, cough, andpiles¹³. This present studies highlighted that G. sylvestre has valuable phytochemical and pharmacological activities.

Macroscopic:

Gymnema sylvestre has green leaves, ovate or elliptic. The length and width of leaf is 2-6cm and 1-4cm respectively. The leaves are simple, petiolate, opposite with acute apex, reticulate venation. The scent is atribute as well as leaves have slightly bitter taste. Leaves have remarkable property to abolish the sweet taste. In the yellow flowers of G. sylvestre the length of umbellate cymes, lanceolate, and follicles terete is up to 3 inch¹⁴.

Microscopic:

Microscopic studies revealthat stem is hairy, surface is covered with non-glandular hairs. Leaves consists of five vascular bundles, fan shaped, either sides covered by two small bundles. Epidermis is barrel shaped and single layered. TS of lamina is horse shoe shaped. Lamina contain rosette crystal of calcium oxalate, more prominent toward center. Spongy parenchyma comprise of idoblast. Yellowish green color of powdered material has bitter taste and pleasant aromatic odour. Microscopic observations show that it possesses grains of starch, remnantsof collenchymatous and parachymatous cells have vessels, bast fibers, tracheidal fiber and sieve plates¹⁴.

PHYTOCHEMISTRY:

Phytochemical investigations of G.sylvestre leaves showed the presence of the vital constituents like gymnemic acids and gymnema saponins which are member of oleanane type of saponins. Other phytochemical constituents includes triterpene, saponins, tartaric acid, butyric acid, flavones and anthroquinone derivatives. In the aerial parts of G. sylvestre a new flavonol glycoside which name is kaempferol 3-O-beta-D- glucopyranosyl- (1-->4)- alpha-L- rhamnopyranosyl- (1-->6) beta-D- galactopyranoside present¹⁵. Several therapeutically important chemical components (stigmasterol, triterpenoid saponins) were identified in the stem of G.sylvestre by using chromatographic techniques⁹. The secondary metabolites are present in all parts of the G. sylvestre plant like acidic glycoside and gymnemic acid. In the tips of shoot the quantity of gymnemic acid is high while in the seed its quantity is less¹⁵. Prior the methanolic extract of G. sylvestre disseminate the existence of most of the various biologically active phytochemicals, including alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids and saponins as reported formaerly¹⁶. Gurmarin has been isolated from the plant for sweet paralyzing activity.

PHARMACOLOGY:

In the Ayurvedic system of medicine, all the parts of plant (G. sylvestre) like root, shoot, leaves, and seeds have medicinal attributes and used for the cure of many aliments. The different parts of G.sylestere has the ability to treat many aliments like haemorrhoids, jaundice, constipation, diabetes and asthma, also used as antimicrobial, antiobesity andantidote of snake venom activities¹⁷. The leave’s extract and excluded bioactive compounds showed that it has the properties to cure toothache, stomachache, and also used to purify the blood¹⁸. The aqueous and methnolic extracts of plants’ leaves showed its antimicrobial activity against many bacteria likeE. coli, C. kefry and B. cereus. The leaves of G. sylvestre are used as medicine for the cancer treatment in Ayurveda. The wound healing activity is tested by its alcoholic extract in the rats¹⁵. Many studies like biological evaluation and molecular mechanism of action of excluded compounds are in process, and many medicinal and clinical trials helped to disclose its pharmacological effects on humans. This herb is commonly available in different regions of India and Sri Lanka and widely used for the treatment of many diseases.

Anti-diabetic activity:

Anti-diabetic activity of G.sylvestre was assessed by V.Aralelimath and coworkers. In this study, extract of G.sylvestre was investigated for hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic action in standard and STZ-induced diabetic rats. The results revealed by the extract of G.sylvestre would be capable of regenerating B-cells and treat diabetes mellitus as drug¹⁸.

P.Kumar and coworkers have evaluated G.sylvestre leaves extract for anti-diabetic. The results of their study showed that 30mg/kg, of G.slyvestre leaves extract dosage given to STZ-induced diabetic rats showed prominent anti-hyperglycemic in 1^st week of treatment¹⁹.

Anti-diabetic activity of G.sylvestre was assessed by N.werma and coworkers. Their study showed that alcoholic leaf extract of G.sylvestre exhibited prominent hypoglycemic action in STZ-influenced rats and differentiate with referenced anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide 5mg/kg, and revealed that G,sylvestre lowered blood glucose level in 1 hour²⁰.

S.Sathya and coworkers stated that G.sylvestre showed antidiabetic activity. In their study they introduced 2ml/kg, aqueous extract of G.sylvestre leaves to normal as well as to alloxan influenced diabetic rats and observed the low level of glucose in rats, with diabetes²¹.

Anti-obesity activity:

G. sylvestre has ability to reduce weight by suppressing craving for sweets and controlling blood sugar level. Gurmarin peptide is responsible to abolish the sweet taste.The combination of standardized G.S extract with niacin-bound chromium and hydroxycitric acid have been assessed for anti-obesity action by considering the change in the weight of body, body mass index (BMI), hunger, lipid profiles, serum leptin, and discharge of urinary fat metabolites from the body¹³.

Antimicrobial activity:

According to the ethanolic extract of G.sylvestre leaves In Vitro studies exhibited an antimicrobial action against Bacillus pumilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, also showed inactivity against Proteus vulgarisand Escherichia coli²².

Hypolipidemic activity:

The hypolipidaemic activity of G, sylvestre leaf extract was evaluated by its administration to hyperlipidaemic rats for two weeks. It has been reported that leaf extract has shown remarkable depletion in raised serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL). This drug has same efficacy as clifibrate has, a standard lipid lowering agent^23,24.

Antiviral activity:

G, sylvestre plant is effective against antiviral activity because of its major chemical constituent, Gymnamic acid. Gymnamic acid A and B shown antiviral activity. Gymnamic acid A at the concentration of 75mg/Kg body weight showed maximum activity against influenza virus followed by gymnamic acid B²⁵.

Antidote against snake venom:

Isolated K, gymnemate was figured out as antidote against ATPases, extracted from V.russelli, and N.naja. Fractionated ATPase was obtained from single step chromatography and characterized. Spectrofluorometric method has shown that gymnemate has capability to inhibit these fractionated ATPase, toxic components of the venom by binding to the same site^26,27.

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Received on 02.05.2020 Modified on 30.05.2020

Asian J. Pharm. Tech. 2020; 10(3):217-220.

DOI: 10.5958/2231-5713.2020.00036.7