Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

T. Nwauche Kelechi ¹, C. Monago Comfort ², Onwuka Franscis ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, NG
2 Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, NG

Abstract

Metformin is a known antidiabetic drug, while reducdyn is a known liver drug. Diabetes mellitus is always associated with liver problem. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of metformin and reducdyn in management of diabetes mellitus and its liver associated problems in male rats. Metformin was administered at a dose of 1.4mg/kg body weight per day for the period of the treatment. This fixed dose of metformin was coadministered differently with reducdyn at different doses of 0.25mg/kg and 0.5mg/kg body weight to groups IV and V rats respectively for 3, 6 and 9 weeks. The statistical analysis was carried out using one way ANOVA followed by post hoc LSD multiple comparison on SPSS 19. Metformin, when administered alone and its co-administration with the different doses of reducdyn showed significant decrease in blood glucose concentration for 3, 6 and 9 weeks of treatment when compared with the diabetic control group. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference in the plasma AST and ALT activities for the first 3, 6 and 9 weeks of treatment in all the groups when compared with the diabetic control group. There was a significant (Pı0.05) decrease in AST activities of groups III and IV (DCR on metformin (1.4mg/kg) and DCR on metformin (1.4mg/kg) + reducdyn (0.25mg/kg) body weight) after 6 weeks of treatment when compared with the Normal control (Group I). After the 9th week of treatment, it was observed that only group III had a significant (Pı0.05) decrease in the plasma AST and ALT activity when compared with the normal control group. It is also noticed that groups III and IV had an appreciable reduction rate in the plasma AST activities when compared with the diabetic and normal control groups. There was a significant (Pı0.05) decrease in the plasma ALP activities in all the groups treated for the first 3 weeks when compared with the normal and diabetic control groups (groups I and II) except for groups III. However, there was no significant (P>0.05) difference in the enzyme activities between the two control groups after 3 weeks of treatment. After 6 weeks groups IV and V had a significant decrease in the plasma ALP activities when compared with the normal and diabetic control groups (groups I and II). Group III had no significant (Pı0.05) difference in the plasma ALP activities when compared with the two control groups. As the treatment progressed to the 9th week, there was no significant (Pı0.05) difference in the plasma ALP activities between the normal and diabetic control groups. Only group V had a significant (Pı0.05) decrease in the plasma ALP activities when compared with the normal control group. Groups III and IV, had no significant (Pı0.05) difference in the plasma ALP activities when compared with the normal control group and diabetic control group (groups I and II).

In histological evaluation of the pancreas andhepatic tissue, the islet cells of the Langerhan of the pancreas were repopulated and preserved in all the groups treated with the drugs against the diabetic control group whose islet cells were reduced, while mild inflammation of the hepatic tissue was observed in all the groups throughout the period of treatment, except for those treated with metformin alone whose hepatic tissues were seen to have periportal inflammation after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment.

Keywords

Diabetes Mellitus, Liver Enzymes, Strepzotocin, Metformin, Reducdyn.

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C. Monago Comfort ¹, O. Fred C. Nwodo ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Biochemistry, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, NG
2 Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, NG

Abstract

The antidiabetic effects of the crude flavonoid (FV) and alkaloid (AK) of Abrus precatorius seed were studied in alloxan diabetic rabbits. The effects were compared to that of chlorpropamide (CP) a known antidiabetic drug and a diabetic control group (CO). Blood glucose level drawn before the alloxan injection was 1.11±0.04, 1.33±0.06, 1.14±0.04, and 1.24±0.02 x 10² mg/dl for FV, AK, CP and CO groups respectively. When 50mg/kg body weight of FV, AK, CP and 5ml of normal saline for CO were given orally, blood glucose level decreased in FV, AK and CP groups but not in CO group. The percentage reductions in blood glucose levels were 35.3, 44.1, 72.0, 69.7, 56.1, 67.7 and 61.6% for FV and 53.40, 116.4, 165.6, 116.4, 104.4, 125.20 and 116.4% for AK after 05, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60 and 168 hrs of oral administration of FV and AK respectively. The percentage increase in glycemic level in CO was in the range of 0.8 and 4.0%. When the blood glucose reduction of FV was compared to that of CP at p<0.05, significant differences were observed after 05, 10, 30, 60 and 168hrs of oral administration. Significant induction of diabetes by alloxan at p<0.05 was observed for all the groups used in the study. The flavoniod and alkaloid of Abrus precatorius seed were able to reduce the blood glucose level in alloxan diabetic rabbit and could be tested further for implementation in herbal formulations.

Keywords

Alloxan, Diabetes Mellitus, Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Abrus precatorius.

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