Effect of standardized extract of Cosinium fenestratum stem bark on liver and kidney function parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

<bold>Objective: </bold>To investigate the effects of standardized dichloromethane (DCM) extract of Cosinium fenestratum (C. fenestratum) stem bark on liver and kidney function parameters in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. <bold>Methods: </bold>Standardization of the extract was performed through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using berberine (BE) as marker compound. The standardized C. fenestratum stem bark extract (SCFE) was administered orally at a dose of 100 mg/kg to STZ-induced diabetic rats for 15 d. <bold>Results: </bold>The quantity of BE in the extract was 2.09% w/w. Blood glucose levels, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and creatinine were significantly (P<0.05) elevated in STZ-induced diabetic rats as compared to normal control groups. Treatment of diabetic rats with the extract significantly (P<0.05) reduced, ALP, creatinine, and BUN levels as compared to the diabetic control group. The total white blood cells (WBC) count was reduced in diabetic rats. Treatment of diabetic rats with SCFE significantly (P<0.05) increased the total WBC count as compared to the values of diabetic control rats. <bold>Conclusion: </bold>The observations of the present study show that extract of C. fenestratum stem bark has hepato-renal protective effect in STZ-induced diabetic rats.