Hypoglycaemic activity of the ethanol extract of Ageratum conyzoides linn. shoots on alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Owing to the increasing prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria, there is a continuous search for antidiabetic phytomedicines. The hypoglycaemic activity of the ethanol extract of shoots of Ageratum conyzoides Linn. was determined using alloxan-induced rats. Ethanol extract was prepared using a soxhlet extractor. The hypoglycaemic activity of ethanol extract of A. conyzoides was determined using alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats of either sex weighing 140 to 200 g. The rats were divided into 6 groups of 5 rats each. Group 1 was the negative control experiment (no alloxan, no treatment). Group 2 was the positive control, while Groups 3, 4 and 5 were injected with alloxan to induce diabetes and treated with different doses of the plant extracts namely; 100 mg/kg (Group 3), 200 mg/kg (Group 4), and 400 mg/kg (Group 5). Normoglycaemic rats in Group 6 were also administered with 400 mg/kg of the extract for a period of two weeks. The phytochemical screening of powdered shoots of A. conyzoides was carried out using standard procedures. The plant extract had hypoglycaemic effect on each group of diabetic rats as it lowered the fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels from 390.6 to 90.2 mg/dl (Group 3), 590.4 to 45.8 mg/dl (Group 4) and 466.2 to 42.4 mg/dl (Group 5). The plant extract had no observable adverse effect on normoglycaemic rats and it reduced the FBS level from 55.0 to 49.3 mg/dl within two weeks. The phytochemical screening of the shoot of A. conyzoides revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardenolides, tannins, saponins and flavonoids. Considering the hypoglycaemic activity of A. conyzoides on the diabetic albino rats, the plant could be a source of antidiabetic phytomedicine.