• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.200-206
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• 2010

Banaba, Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. (Lythraceae) is a tree that grows in the tropic islands of the Pacific. This plants are used for medical purposes in the world. The components of L. speciosa were analyzed for the contents according to growing stages at leaves. The distributions of the corosolic acid ($2{\alpha}$, $3{\beta}$-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid), phytol, campestrol, and vitamin E were rich among samples in this study. These were contained much fatty acids. The mean content of palmitic acid was from 2.4% across all growing stages, varying from 2.15% for young leaves with the lowest content and 2.86% for fallen leaves with the highest content. Oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid were contained nearly mean 2.0% in all leaves of banaba. Our results have shown that the phytochemical profile of young L. speciosa leaves differs quite radically from that of old L. speciosa leaves. In addition, these subdividing results according to plant growth should allow future researches to conduct targeted experimental studies and use of particular medical components of interest, examining chemical variation on the inter-developmental levels.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1305-1311
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• 2008

This study investigated that the antidiabetic effects of banaba extracts with variety solvents selectivity in vitro and in vivo. Banaba extracts were prepared with water, 70% ethanol, 90% ethanol, 100% ethanol and water-ethanol that of extract twice times sequentially water and ethanol. Cell toxicity and insulin secretion of banaba extracts was tested by MTT (3-[4,5-dimetylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay on hamster insulinoma cell line, HIT-T15. Also we tested that insulin, body weight, blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and free fatty acid in streptozotocin diabetic rats. Water-ethanol extract has remarkable antidiabetic effect compare with the other banaba extracts. For water-ethanol extract has both of hydrophilic and hydrophobic antidiabetic materials from banaba. Expecially, corosolic acid, as known as unique polyphenol, has antidiabetic effect studied by many researchers till nowadays. But corosolic acid does not solve in water. Otherwise, we suggest that banaba extract of hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials (polyphenol and antioxidants) mixture more increased antidiabetic effects.