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ABSTRACT
The hike in the usage of dietary and herbal supplements/nutraceuticals has surge recently. Vernonia amygdalina constitute a huge source of secondary metabolites that are efficacious to ethnomedicine.The aim of this study was to evaluate the glycaemic, antioxidant, insulinotropic and toxicological effects of aqueous extracts of V. amygdalina leaves and its tannin fractions on normoglycemic rats. Sixty-one (61) male Wistar rats weighing between 150 to 180g were used in this study. They were allowed to acclimatize for a week before the commencement of the experiment. Thirtysix of the rats were used for the toxicity studies of the aqueous and total tannin fraction of the plant. The study was in two phases; the first and second phases which comprised three groups of three rats each for both phases of the toxicity study. More so, twenty-five rats divided into five groups of five rats each were used in the actual study. Biochemical analysis and histological analysis were carried out at the end of the study. The toxicity study of the aqueous extract and tannin fraction of V. amygdalina showed that at the dose of 5000 mg/kg b.w body orally was seen to be non-toxic; hence, there was no mortality or any visible sign of toxicity. Also, the results obtained from the study showed that the administration of the aqueous extract significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the fasting blood glucose of the rats after twenty-eight days at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w, while at a dose of 500 mg/kg b.w; reduction in fasting blood glucose was observed from day twenty-one. Furthermore, the tannin fraction of the plant leaves significantly (p < 0.05) and dosedependently reduced the fasting blood glucose from day 15 at both 10 and 50 mg/kg b.w compared with the normal control group. Study on the toxicity of oxidative stress impact of the extract and fraction of V. amygdalina, revealed that the plant leaf extract did not impact the oxidative status of the animals relative to the normal control. This study clearly revealed that tannin fraction could possess a higher potency in reducing fasting blood glucose concentration and could significantly increase the insulin concentration both at relatively low dose. At high dose, the aqueous extract of the leaves is helpful in the control of blood glucose and increase of insulin concentration.
