Background: Putranjiva roxburghii belongs to the Putranjivaceae family and usually grow in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Traditionally, leaves and seeds are used for treating fever, inflammation and pain.

Aim of the study: The objective of the study is to isolate and characterize the chemical constituents from Putranjiva twigs and evaluate its antidiabetic potential.

Methods: The powdered material of twigs extracted with alcohol and partitioned into different fractions. Chemical fingerprint of each fraction was developed by RP-HPLC method. The isolation performed with butanol fraction and two new compounds obtained. The pure compounds assessed for the dose dependent glucose uptake assay on L6 myotubes in Dulbecco modified Eagle medium. Up-regulatory effects of the compounds with insulin and TNF-α expression level have been studied.

Results: The isolation from twigs butanol fraction gave two new compounds-2, 4 dihydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl) benzoic acid (1) and L-quebrachitol (2) of phenolic and cyclitol class respectively. The up-regulation of glucose uptake of the compounds were comparable with insulin and standard drug metformin.

Conclusion: The results of present study indicate that plant has varied secondary metabolites with potential antidiabetic activity. However, the plant is not well explored and requires scientific validation in detailed in vivo studies and their mode of action.