ASSESSMENT OF ANTIDIABETIC ACTIVITY OF COMBINED ETHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACTS FROM FOUR MEDICINAL PLANTS: OCIMUM GRATISSIMUM, CARICA PAPAYA, CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS AND MORINGA OLEIFERA IN DEXAMETHASONEINDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterised by absolute lack of or deficiency of insulin leading to hyperglycemia, glycosuria and hyperlipaemia. Polyherbal therapy is said to be a current pharmacological principle having the advantage of producing maximum therapeutic efficacy with minimum side effects. The objective of the study is to investigate the antidiabetic activity of combined ethanolic (AlcE) extracts of leaf of Moringa oleifera, Ocimum gratissimum, Cymbopogon citratus and Carica papaya in normal and diabetic induced rats. The plants were tested for their phytochemical constituents and it was observed that the entire plants extract has Saponin, Flavonoid which was not significantly present in C. citratus and Tannin which was not significantly present in O.gratissimum and M.oleifera. Thirty-six (36) Wistar rats were grouped equally into six groups. Group I and II served as normal control group (NCG) and Diabetic control groups (DCG) respectively, group III-VI serves as the diabetic treatment (DTG) groups. DCG and DTG (Group IIVI) were induced with diabetics by injection of dexamethasone in normal saline (10 mg/kg, i.p) for 10 days. The DCG receive metformin (100mg/kg, i.p) and DTG's received the combined extracts at different concentration of 200, 300, 400 and 500mg/kg body weight orally for 14 days. Thereafter, the animals were sacrificed and blood was collected for serum glucose. Changes in animal weight were also measured within the period. From the results it was observed that DCG and DTG had significant increase in body weight (P<0.005), DTG having percentage increase of 5.56%, 4.67%, 6.82%, 5.22% respectively which were slightly higher than the DCG ( 4.20%). The combined extract, significantly (P<0.005) decreased the blood glucose level. This result thus showed that combined AlcE of the above mentioned plants could be used in treatment of diabetics.