"Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are de main cause of mortality in Mexico and the world. Hyperglycemia, excess weight and hypertension are risk factors in developing NCDs. Phytotherapy presents an alternative to treatment of NCDs. Chaya (C. aconitifolius) is a shrub cultivated in the Mayan region and has been used in traditional medicine since pre-hispanic times, it´s leaves have reported biological effects as antioxidants, hypolipids and antibacterial. The aim of this work was to evaluate the hypoglycemic and hypotensive effect of extracts of Chaya leaves (C. aconitifolius) within vitro and in vivo assays. Thus, six extracts were prepared; water, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether and hexane (1:10 p/v), by maceration for 48 h. All extracts were evaluated biologically, three in vitro tests were performed; inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), inhibition of the a-glucosidase and a-amylase enzyme. In the in vivo study, male Wistar rats with obesity, hyperglycemia and hypertension were used. The glucose tolerance curve (GTC), the hypoglycemic effect and the hypotensive effect were determined. In vitro; the acetone extract had the lowest IC50 of ACE with 12.61 μg/mL, and the ethyl acetate extract had the lowest IC50 a-amylase and a glucosidase with 22.97 and 3.20 μg/mL. The aqueous extract of chaya had the highest hypotensive effect by decreasing systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 17.3 and 23.4 %, respectively. In the GTC at 0.5 mg/kg the hexane extract was the only one that decreased blood glucose levels by 7.6 %. In the hyglycemic effect at 5.0 mg/kg, there was a 22.9 % decreased in blood glucose. In conclusion, the results shown the biofunctional value of chaya extracts, specifically the aqueous and hexane extracts, due
to their greater hypoglycemic and hypotensive effect."
