Abstract
The methanolic leaf extract of Vernonia amygdalina (MLVA) was assessed to evaluate its antidiabetic potential in rats. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by the administration of alloxan monohydrate at 100 mg/kg of body weight. After 48 h, rats with fasting blood glucose levels of 200 mg/dL and above were considered diabetic and used for the study. The experimental animals were grouped into five groups (A–E) of 10 animals each. Group A rats were non-diabetic normal control, Group B consisted of diabetic control rats that received no treatment, groups C, D and E rats were diabetic rats but treated with glibenclamide, 200 and 400 mg/kg doses of MLVA respectively. Blood samples were collected at days 14 and 28 after induction for haematological and serum biochemical indices such as triglycerides, LDL, cholesterols etc. The intestine was collected and intestinal homogenate was prepared for the antioxidant studies. The extract at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg doses significantly (p < 0.05) reduced blood glucose levels in extract-treated diabetic rats and also significantly increased weight gain in these rats. Most haematological parameters in treated rats experienced, while platelets and neutrophils were decreased. Biochemical indices measured were reduced in MLVA-treated groups compared with diabetic control. Treatment with MLVA also produced significant (p < 0.05) decrease in markers of oxidative stress but increased levels of enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidant markers in intestinal homogenates of treated groups compared with diabetic control. This study showed that V. amygdalina has antihyperglycaemic and in vivo antioxidant effects.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus is a disorder of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism and can represent absolute insulin deficiency, impaired release of insulin by the pancreatic β cells, inadequate or defective insulin receptors or production of inactive insulin (Porth 1998)
The induction of diabetes caused statistically significant (p < 0.05) reductions in the packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin concentration (Hb) of diabetic rats compared with the normal control
Uncontrolled hyperglycaemia can lead to increased production of free radicals, especially reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen oxygen species (NOS) (Robertson 2004)
Summary
Diabetes mellitus is a disorder of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism and can represent absolute insulin deficiency, impaired release of insulin by the pancreatic β cells, inadequate or defective insulin receptors or production of inactive insulin (Porth 1998). Diabetes mellitus is still one of the most important causes of death and disability in both developed and developing countries. According to the report by World Health Organization (WHO 2015), 9% of adults in the world suffer from diabetes and this disease will be the seventh leading cause of death in 2030. There is substantial evidence that diabetes is epidemic in many low-income and middleincome countries (WHO 1994). From the African continent counts, approximately 13.6 million people are diabetic, with Nigeria having the highest number of people with diabetes (about 1 218 000 people affected). Nigeria has the highest number of people (estimated at 3.85 million) with impaired glucose tolerance (International Diabetes Federation 2011)
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