Biochemical evaluation of the effects of Nigerian polyherbal preparation on Wistar rabbits

Authors

  • Ken C. Anugweje Dept. of Health Services, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt
  • Okey A. Ojiako Department of Biochemistry, Federal Univ. of Technology, Owerri
  • Chidi U. Igwe Department of Biochemistry, Federal Univ. of Technology, Owerri
  • Winnifred A. Nwachukwu Department of Biochemistry, Federal Univ. of Technology, Owerri
  • Chiza A. Ogbuji Department of Science Lab. Technology, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v2i6.89

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with multiple etiologies. Its sufferers are generally at high risk of dyslipidemia characterized by hypercholesterolemia, hyper-triglyceridemia, hyperlipoproteinemia and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Globally, the estimated cost of diabetes care was $376 billion in 2010, representing 12% of health expenditures for that year. 

Methods: The effects of the aqueous extracts of a little known Nigerian traditional polyherbal formula consisting of Emilia coccinea, Acanthus montanus, Hibiscus rosasinensis and Asystasia gangetica on serum glucose concentration, amylase activity and lipid profiles of normal, diabetic, and liver-damaged rabbits were studied using standard procedures. The mixture of the aqueous extracts of the four plants was orally administered in two doses – 120mg/kg body weight and 240mg/kg body weight for 28 days.

Results: The drug elicited dose- and duration-of-administration-dependent, significant (p<0.05) reductions in serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and LDL-cholesterol; and significant (p<0.05) increases in the HDL-cholesterol concentrations with no changes in amylase activity.

Conclusion: These results confirm the hypoglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective potentials of the crude drug and thus justify its application in ethnomedicine in the management of diabetes.

Key words: Emilia coccinea, Acanthus montanus, Hibiscus rosasinensis, Asystasia gangetica, antidiabetic, hepatoprotection.

Downloads

Published

2012-06-10

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 6 (2012): June 2012

Section

Research Articles

License

Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.

By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained.