In Nigerian ethnomedicine, Stemonocoleus micranthus Harms (Fabaceae) is used in the management of heart related diseases. This study investigated the effect of sub-chronic administration of methanol-dichloromethane stem bark extract of S. micranthus (SME) on lipid profile and histology of liver and kidney of rats. Adult albino rats of both sexes were randomly divided into four groups (n=5) and received daily administration of SME (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) and 2 ml/kg distilled water (control) respectively for 28 days per oral. Biochemical tests were performed pretreatment and subsequently fortnightly as the treatment commenced. The results showed that the extract increased the serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration while low density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were reduced compared with the baseline values. However, the histopathological examination of the liver and kidney of the rats that received extract and solvent revealed normal portal area with bile ducts and hepatic artery as well as normal glomerulus and renal tubules without observable changes suggesting zero tendency of causing toxic effects. The preliminary phytochemical analysis showed that SME contained alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, reducing sugars, terpenoids, saponins, proteins and, fats oils. SME exhibited an oral LD 50 >5 g/kg in mice. These findings suggest that the stem bark extract of S. micranthus contains constituents that possess hypolipidemic activity in rats.

This study evaluated the anti-hyperglycemic potential of Stemonocoleus micranthus Harms. (Fabaceae) stem bark. Three models used in this study were: normoglycemic animal model, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic model for acute and prolonged administration. Five (5) groups of rats (n=5) were used for all models; group 1 served as the control (received 2 ml/kg of distilled water; p.o.), groups 2, 3, and 4 received S. micranthus extract (SME) 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, respectively, while group 5 received glibenclamide (GLI 0.2 mg/kg) as a reference drug. In the normoglycemic study, the % reduction in blood glucose concentration (BGC) was 22.24, 29.97, 30.03 and 37.28% for SME (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) and GLI, respectively. In the OGTT study, suppression in BGC was statistically significant (p<0.05) at 120 min for the 400 mg/kg SME group. The glycemic changes (%) observed in SME (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) treated rats were 3.4, 0.86 and 0.45%, respectively at the 120 min relative to 0 min values. Also, oral administration of SME (100, 200, 400 mg/kg) and GLI significantly (p<0.05) reduced the BGC to varying degrees in alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rats. The SME at 400 mg/kg produced the highest percentage diminution in BGC of 23.26 and 67.66% for the acute and the prolonged anti-hyperglycemic study respectively, whereas the standard drug, GLI, exhibited 73.55 and 66.10%, respectively. Histopathological studies revealed protection from the harmful effect of alloxan on the kidney and liver by SME-treatment after 28 days as against GLI treated group where there was evidence of mild hepatosis. From the results, it can be deduced that S. micranthus stem bark possesses anti-hyperglycemic effects, thus scientifically corroborating with the folkloric use.

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