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Ethnopharmacological relevance: Folk herbal practitioners of the Cholistan desert claim Farsetia hamiltonii Royle (Brassicaceae) to treat diabetes, oxidative damages, diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. The aim of this study was to scientifically find the potential of Farsetia hamiltonii in treating diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases.

Materials and methods: In vivo anti-diabetic activity of Farsetia hamiltonii was studied on alloxan induced diabetic rats to justify its traditional use. The in vitro antispasmodic activity on isolated tissues of rabbit jejunum was also evaluated. In addition, several enzyme inhibition studies (lipoxygenase, tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase (AchE), carbonic II anhydrase and phosphodiesterase I) and antioxidant activity of plant extracts were also conducted.

Results: In vivo experiments, Farsetia hamiltonii methanol extract (300 mg/kg) significantly lowered the fasting blood glucose (107.6 +/- 1.249 mg/dL up to 4th day) comparable to positive control (Glibenclamide) throughout the study period. The in vitro antispasmodic activity on isolated tissues of rabbit jejunum on methanol extract showed concentration dependent (0.01-0.3 mg/ml) relaxation of spontaneous contractions with EC50 value 0.011 mu M and high K+ (80 mM) induced contraction (0.01-0.1 mg/ml) with EC50 value 0.066 mg/ml.

Farsetia hamiltonii DCM and methanol extracts exhibited some antilipoxygenase activities while tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase (AchE), carbonic II anhydrase, phosphodiesterase I, and antioxidant activity of plant extracts were not significant.

Conclusions: Our results validate the traditional use of Farsetia hamiltonii for the traditional therapeutic potential in treating diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.