ANTIDIABETIC EFFECT OF CLEOME RUTIDOSPERMA DC AND SENECIO BIAFRAE (OLIV. & HIERN) EXTRACTS IN STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of oral administration of aqueous extracts of Cleome rutidosperma leaves and Senecio biafrae roots on blood glucose, biochemical parameters, lipid profile, antioxidant enzymes activity and hepatic glucose regulating enzyme activities in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. STZ was administered as a single dose (60mg/kg wt, i.p.) to induce diabetes. The effects of the extracts were compared with the standard drug Glibenclamide (600 mu g/kg b. wt). The aqueous extract of both plants at different doses (125mg/Kg, 250mg/Kg and 500mg/Kg) administered orally to the diabetic rats for 28 days, produced significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the level of blood glucose, feed and water intake as well as serum cholesterol, triacylglycerols, low density lipoprotein (LDL), creatinine, urea, bilirubin and activity of liver marker enzymes such as AST, ALT, ALP and TBARS in liver and kidney. Treatment also produced significant (p < 0.05) increase in body weight, PCV, High density lipoprotein (HDL), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) and Glutathione Reductase(GR). Administration of both extracts to STZ-diabetic rats accelerated hepatic glucokinase activity and inhibited gluconeogenesis enzymatic activity (glucose-6-phosphatase). Comparatively, the aqueous extract of Cleome rutidosperma leaves showed better activities than the Senecio biafrae roots aqueous extract. The present investigation suggests that Cleome rutidosperma leaves and Senecio biafrae roots aqueous extracts exhibit antihyperglycaemic, antihyperlipidaemic and antioxidant effects and consequently could prevent various complications of diabetes. The study has also provided evidence for the traditional usage of the plants in the control of diabetes.