KOLKATA: Scientists from India's northeast and West Bengal have unlocked the potential of natural chemicals derived from a particular Hibiscus species, known for its cottony colour-changing blossoms and medicinal properties, that could generate a new and better therapeutic agent for diabetes, a disease that afflicts around 62 million Indians.

Researchers at Assam's Tezpur University and West Bengal's Visva-Bharati University zeroed in on a phytochemical (plant-derived compound) from the leaves of Sthalpadma or land-lotus (scientifically known as Hibiscus mutabilis and commonly called Confederate rose) that restores insulin sensitivity of cells and thereby helps lower blood sugar levels in diabetic rats.

Dubbed as a silent killer by experts worldwide, diabetes mellitus (Type 2 diabetes or T2D), or simply diabetes, is one of the four major non-communicable diseases in India, the other three being cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Diabetes exists in two forms, Type-1 and Type-2.

"In Type 1 diabetes, insulin, the hormone responsible for breaking down glucose in the body for utilization, is not produced in sufficient quantities whereas in the Type 2, insulin is sufficient but not active.

"We found that ferulic acid (FRL), belonging to the polyphenols, extracted from leaves of the plant, has the potential to be a better therapeutic agent for diabetes," Samir Bhattacharya, emeritus professor, School of Life Sciences (Zoology Department) at Visva-Bharati in Shantiniketan, told IANS over the phone.

The findings were published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications journal Aug 26. It states: "FRL could influence in improvement of glucose (sugar) level in diabetic rats within 15 days when orally administered for eight days."
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Source: IANS