ANTIDIABETIC PROPERTIES AND SAFETY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF TRICITICUM AESTIVUM, HORDEUM VULGARE, URTICA MASSAICA AND CYNANCHUM VIMINALE IN RAT MODEL
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Date
2021-03
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Abstract
The primary goal in the management of diabetes mellitus is to realize normoglycemia
as much as possible. In conventional medicine, oral insulin secretagogues and
parenteral insulin are used as hypoglycemic agents. However, they have known side
effects such as insidious hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis, liver injury and neurological
deficit. On the other hand, numerous phytotherapeutics that have been used in
traditional, complimentary or alternative medicine for the treatment of diabetes have
not been evaluated for their effectiveness and or their toxicity effects. The objective of
this study was to evaluate the in vivo glycemic and toxicity effects of aqueous extracts
of Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare, Urtica massaica and Cynanchum viminale.
Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneally administering 10% alloxan monohydrate
into Wistar rats. Rats with fasting blood glucose levels above 200 mg/L 72 hr post
alloxan administration were used in this study to evaluate efficacy of doses of
aqueous plants extracts against glibenclamide and insulin as reference drugs. Toxicity
studies were done by oral or intraperitoneal administration of doses of aqueous plant
extracts for 28 days. The rats were euthenized and blood taken for hematological and
biochemical studies. Gross and relative organ weights were taken. Presence of
minerals, phytonutrients and phytochemicals in the plants extracts was also
established. A p < 0.05 was consindered statistically significant. The results obtained
in this study indicates that both orally and intraperitoneally administered aqueous
plants extracts used in this study exhibited varying degrees of blood glucose lowering
effects. When orally administered, all the plants extracts did not have significant
different effect on cardiac and pancreatic systems, liver and kidneys relative to the
control. Significant variations in some gross organ and relative organ weights between
the extracts administered and control rats though observed were not supported by
haematological or biochemical changes hence not pathologically associated.
However, statistically significant effects were recorded when some of the plants
extracts were intraperitoneally administered compared to the controls. Flavonoids,
alkaloids, saponins, steroids, cardiac glycosides, minerals and vitamins were found to
be present in the aqueous plants extracts. In conclusion, the aqueous plants extracts
evaluated in this study have demonstrated blood glucose reduction properties and
validates their use in control and mitigation of diabetes mellitus. Further, results
obtained on phytonutrients and bioactive secondary metaboloites assay indicate the
presence of various functional groups. The synergistic activities of the various
compounds present in the aqueous plants extracts in this study are attributable to the
plant’s observed blood glucose lowering effects. When orally taken, none of the
logarithmic doses of either of the plants extracts demonstrated any toxicity effects
while some of the plants extracts exhibited toxicity when intraperitoneally
administered. Thus, based on the findings of this study, continued use of the plants
extracts and following proper monitoring and evaluation protocol in management of
diabetes mellitus is recommended. However, caution should be observed in
intraperitoneal administration of some of the extracts. Further isolation and structural
characterization of the active constituents of phytochemicals of the plants and
ellucidation of the actual mode of action is recommended. Translational clinical
reseach is equally recommended on the background of the data obtained in this study
to facilitate advances and the integration of the studied alternative botanical therapies
for treating diabetes into modern medicine.