COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF ANTIDIABETIC PROPERTY OF SOME SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS IN STREPTOZOTOCIN (STZ)-INDUCED DIABETIC MALE WISTAR ALBINO RATS

Abstract

The present study aimed to comparatively assess the antidiabetic property of the leaf extracts of Musa paradisiaca (MP) (plantain) peels, Gongronema latifolium (GLE) (utazi), and Vernonia amygdalina (VA) (bitter leaf). Acute toxicity test was done using modified method of Lorke D as there was no mortality death ratio. For the acute toxicity test, twenty-four male wistar albino rats were used while seventy-five male rats were randomly assigned into 15 groups of 5 rats per group. Diabetes was induced in group 2-15 by intraperitoneal administration of 60mg/kg by weight (BW) of streptozotocin (STZ) while group 1 was the normal control, group 2 and 3 were treated with normal saline and 500mg/kg of metformin respectively. Groups 4, 5 and 6 were treated with 200, 400 and 600mg/kg of M. paradisiaca peels (MPPE) respectively. Groups 7, 8 and 9 were treated with 200, 400 and 600mg/kg doses of G. latifolium (GLE) extracts. Groups 10, 11 and 12 were also treated with 200, 400 and 600mg/kg of V. amygdalina (VAE) extracts while groups 13, 14 and 15 were treated with combined 200, 400 and 600mg/kg extracts (1:1:1). The treatments lasted for 28 days by oral intubation with different doses of combined extracts of (MPPE, GLE and VAE) respectively. The results showed that blood glucose and amylase activity were significantly higher (p<0.05) in group 2 than in group 1. Treatments with the extracts and metformin resulted to a significant reversal in the values of these parameters. The effect of the extracts was found to be significantly dose dependent, the effect produced by the combined extract was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the individual extracts. The effect produced by 600mg/kg of combined extract was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of metformin. The findings from this study are indicative that the extracts of MPPE, GAE, VAE and combined form possess antidiabetic property which may be attributed to their chemical constituents.