Anti-Diabetic And Toxicological Studies Of Gongronema Latifolium
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Date
2016-05
Authors
Bassel Al Hindi
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Abstract
Gongronema latifolium Benth. (Apocyanaceae) (GL) possesses a considerable glucose lowering activity to be utilized on a large-scale. This study investigates the antidiabetic and toxic effects of GL. Ethanol and a Soxhlet apparatus were used to obtain GL ethanolic Soxhlet extract (GLES) from the leaves. To examine the antidiabetic effect, GLES was orally administered to male Sprague-Dawley (SD) normal and STZ-induced diabetic rats. Blood glucose levels (BGLs), serum lipid profile, insulin levels and the pancreas were evaluated after 14 days of treatment. To assess GL toxicity, GLES was administered orally at 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg to SD rats for 90 days following OECD guidelines. Toxicity indices were measured, including body weight; biochemical, and hematological parameters; and weights of vital organs. Histopathological assessment of the key organs involved in xenobiotic metabolism and excretion – liver and kidneys - was conducted. GLES significantly (P < 0.05) decreased BGLs of normal rats in glucose tolerance testing at a dose of 2 g/kg b.w., but failed to do so in diabetic rats undergoing acute 7-h treatment. Treatment with 1 g/kg b.w. twice daily moderately controlled diabetic BGLs starting from day 10. After 14 days of treatment, 1 g/kg and 0.5 g/kg b.w. of GLES caused 44% and 50% respective increases in the average area of Langerhans islets compared to DC. Using isolated rat abdominal muscle, GLES was found to be a mild insulin-sensitizer. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of known glucose-lowering phytosterol, Sitostenone. In the toxicity study, GLES did not exert a significant effect on measured liver and kidney function panels, and hematological parameters. Serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and low density lipoproteins were decreased in the male rats along with depletion in retroperitoneal body
fat depots (P < 0.05). Significant organ weight discrepancies were observed at the highest dose. For instance, the liver was significantly enlarged in both sexes (P < 0.05). However, histopathological studies did not show any pathological lesions in the liver or the kidneys. Overall, GL use in DM management was found to be comparable to a conventional oral antidiabetic drug and precipitate structural recovery in the pancreas, probably due to Sitostenone and other non-phenolic components. Furthermore, this work validated the safety of GL long-term use as a vegetable, spice and for medicinal purposes; but not at very high doses over an extended period of time.
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The antidiabetic and toxic effects of , GL. Ethanol and a Soxhlet apparatus.