Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Madha Medical College and Research Institute, Kovur, Chennai, India

Department of Physiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Chennai, India.

Department of Pharmacology, Aarupadai Veedu Medical College, Puducherry, India.

Department of Pharmacology, Nandha College of Pharmacy, Erode, India.

Department of Pharmacology, Sri Lakshmi Narayanan Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India.
Heliotropium indicum ,Anticataract activity , Galactose and Vitamin E ,

Anticataract activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Heliotropium indicum on Galactose induced cataract in rat was studied. Galactose was used to induce cataract in rats. The animals were divided in to four groups of six animals each. Group I served as vehicle control received distilled water, group II received 30% Galactose diet served as cataract control and Group III and IV received 200 mg/kg of ethanolic leaf extract of Heliotropium indicum and Vitamin E 50 mg/kg respectively along with galactose diet. All the above groups were treated for 40 days. On the 41st day lenses were removed from the eyes of all the animals to assess the intensity of cataract by estimating glutathione, lens soluble protein, and the lens water content. The results showed that, in the groups of Heliotropium indicum and vitamin E treated animals there was significant increase in the lens glutothione, soluble protein and water content as compared to galactose control. From the above results it was concluded that Heliotropium indicum leaf extract possessed protective action against galactose induced cataract in rats.

5 , 1 , 2015