ABSTRACT
In the past decades there has been upsurge in the incidence of Diabetes mellitus. Claims abound in literatures on the therapeutic values of medicinal plants as effective alternatives in treating diabetes. This study, therefore evaluated the anti-diabetic potential of ethanol extract of Artocarpus heterophyllus leaf in high fat-diet and streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic Wistar rats.
Thirty-two (32) male rats were selected into four groups labelled 1-4 of eight rats each. Group 1 was administered standard diet while the remaining groups (2-4) were fed on high fat diet for twelve weeks and thereafter the diabetes drug was administered (STZ, 35 mg/kg; i.p). The negative control group (2) was left untreated, the GBC group (3) was treated with 0.6mg/kg glibenclamide and the AH group (4) was treated with 500 mg/kg Artocarpus heterophyllus leaf extract for a period of two weeks. The animals were sacrificed through cervical dislocation and the tissue samples were collected and prepared for biochemical analyses using appropriate procedures.
Phytochemical analyses of the extract showed the presence of several bioactive compounds such as saponin, flavonoid, phenols, etc. In vitro antioxidant property of the extract showed appreciable DPPH radical and nitric oxide scavenging abilities; reducing power and ferric reducing antioxidant potential that were comparable to the standard antioxidant, vitamin C. The GBC group and the AH extract group revealed significant (p < 0.05) reduction in blood glucose concentration, increase in total protein while albumin concentration was reduced amongst the groups when compared to the negative control. Furthermore, group 3 and group 4 showed significant (p < 0.05) decrease in oxidative stress indices (in the liver and pancreas), serum total cholesterol, VLDL-C, LDL-C and increase in HDL-C levels in contrast to the negative control. Histopathology of the liver and pancreas of the extract and the glibenclamide treated rats revealed significant improvements in the diabetes-mediated distortions of these organs. Altogether, the study demonstrates the hypoglycemic property and the protective effect of ethanol extract of Artocarpus heterophyllus leaf against metabolic changes associated with type II diabetes.
