Antidiabetic and Hepatoprotective Effects of an Aqueous Extract of Rauwolfia Vomitoria (Apocynaceae) Roots Barkless on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Abstract

In Côte d'Ivoire, people use Rauwolfia vomitoria (Apocynaceae) as traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study is to bring out the potentiel antidiabetic effect of an aqueous extract of roots devoid of Rauwolfia vomitoria bark (EARv), in rats made diabetic by alloxan monohydrate, a diabetogen substance, compared with the effect of glibenclamide, a reference antidiabetic substance. For this, the blood glucose level and weight evolution of healthy rats (normoglycemic), diabetic control rats and diabetic rats treated with EARv or glibenclamide are measured, as well as variations in transaminase levels during 28 days of experimentation. Administration of alloxan induces in rats made diabetic characterized by a significant and permanent increase in blood sugar, a decrease in body mass, followed by an increase in the level of serum transaminases, a sign of liver toxicity in rats. In rats made diabetic and treated daily with EARv at a dose of 1000 mg/kg body weight (B.W), there is a decrease in blood sugar and an increase in body mass, in the sense of their normalization, during the 28 days of treatment. In diabetes rats, EARv also results in normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentration and a significant decrease in aspartate aminotransferase (AST). These effects of EARv at 1000 mg/kg B.W are similar to those of glibenclamide at 10 mg/kg B.W. These results show that, just like glibenclamide, EARv is an antidiabetic, hepatoprotective substance and tends to correct body mass loss in diabetic rats. These effects of EARv justify the use of Rauwolfia vomitoria in traditional medicine in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.