The Hypoglyceamic and Hypolipideamic Potentials of Raw and Boiled Vernonia amygdalina Leaf Extract on Normal, Diabetic Induced and High Fat Fed Male Albino Rats

Abstract

Vernonia amygdalina (VA) though used as folk medicine in managing diabetes yet is high in anti-nutrients. The effect of boiling (to reduce anti-nutrients) on hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic  potentials is not well known. This work, therefore evaluated the hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic  potentials of aqueous extracts of raw and boiled Vernonia amygdalina (VA) leaves at a dose of 300mg/kg bodyweight. Rats were divided into three groups (A,B,C) and two treatments (1,2). Each treatment and control has five rats.  Group A rats were fed normal diet (RND), group B were diabetic induced rats (DIR) fed normal diet and group C were fed high-fat diet (RHD). Treatments 1 and 2 were given raw VA extract (VAR) and boiled VA extract (VAB) respectively for 14days while the control received saline (with no extract). Blood glucose was monitored every three days and on the 15^th day the rats were sacrificed and the blood serum was used to assay for ALP, ALT and AST activities. The result shows that the extracts were able to reduce (p<0.05) the blood glucose level of  DIR (from 504.20±85.66mg/ml to 204.20±136.13mg/ml and 558.80±66.96 to 162.20±56.69mg/ml within 14days for VAR and VAB extracts treated rats respectively) while diabetic control blood glucose at the end of the study remained significantly (p<0.05) high (400.20±64.02mg/ml) compared with the treated. Liver enzymes (ALP, ALT and AST) activities of untreated DIR (control) were raised significantly (p<0.05) when compared with the treated groups. While the control groups of RND and RHD liver enzymes activities were not significantly (p>0.05) higher than the treated. From the whole results analysed VAR and VAB reduced the blood glucose level of DIR (treated) and will bring it to normal with longer period of treatment. Also the extracts decreased the ALP, ALT and AST activities of DIR (treated) and so alleviate the liver function impairment associated with diabetic condition.

Keywords, hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic, Vernonia amygdalina, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate Aminotranferase (AST).