Glucose utilization

Diabetes mellitus and inflammation are among the most prevalent chronic disorders worldwide, creating a growing need for safer and more effective therapeutic agents. Medicinal plants have gained significant attention due to their rich phytochemical composition and broad pharmacological activities. The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities of the hydroalcoholic flower extract of Sphagneticola trilobata. Fresh flowers were collected, shade-dried, and extracted using 70% ethanol by the Soxhlet extraction method. The obtained extract showed a percentage yield of 8.24% and was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening, which confirmed the presence of flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, triterpenes, steroids, carbohydrates, and reducing sugars. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by the nitric oxide (NO) inhibition assay using RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, while the antidiabetic activity was evaluated by the glucose utilization assay using HepG2 cell lines, with metformin serving as the standard drug. The extract exhibited dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity, achieving 69.90% NO inhibition at 100 µg/mL, and demonstrated significant enhancement of glucose utilization, reaching 166.19% of control at 100µg/mL. These findings indicate promising anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic potential, which may be attributed to the synergistic action of the phytoconstituents present in the extract.