THE PHARMACOGNOSTIC STANDARDS, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY, AND HEPATIC SAFETY PROFILE OF AN INDONESIAN ANTIDIABETIC POLYHERBAL FORMULATION

The excessive oxidative processes and the lack of cellular antioxidative mechanisms are significantly observed in diabetes. In addition, long-term medication required for the treatment might harm the hepatic tissues. This study evaluated the selected pharmacognostic characters, antioxidant activities, total phenolic content, and the hepatic safety of a polyherbal formulation containing seven plant constituents used by Klinik Wisata Kesehatan Jamu Kalibakung, Tegal, Indonesia, to treat diabetes patients. The pharmacognostic properties of the formulation were characterized according to the WHO quality control methods for herbal materials. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH RSA), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total phenolic content (TPC) were evaluated as per the standard method. The effect of formulation on the hepatic HepG2 cells was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction assay. The pharmacognostic properties of the formulation specified as follow: foreign matters (1.32±0.05%), loss on drying (11.50±0.07%), total ash (5.68±0.07%), acid-insoluble ash (0.94±0.04%), water-soluble extractable (18.22±0.60%), and ethanol-soluble extractable (16.90±0.77%). The ethanol extract showed a superior DPPH RSA (960.70±2.58 mM Trolox equivalent (TE)/ g dry weight (DW)), FRAP (1112.69±8.39 mM TE/g DW), and TPC (1768.40±32.40 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g DW) over its water counterpart. However, the water extract was safer for HepG2 cells than the ethanol one, with the IC50 values of 218.25±14.03 and 40.24±3.53 µg/ml, respectively. This study set the pharmacognostic standards for an antidiabetic polyherbal formulation with excellent antioxidant activities, in which its traditional use as a decoction was safe for the hepatic cells.