Methanolic Extract of Myrsine africana Leaf Ameliorates Hyperglycemia and Dyslipidemia in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Albino Mice

Abstract

Background. Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading public health problems globally, and its prevalence is increasing in Ethiopia. The current drugs for people with diabetes are costly, less effective, and less safe with a challenging administration method. Thus, globally, the need for alternative herbal antidiabetic medicines is increasing. In the previous studies, antioxidant activities have been seen in crude extracts of M. africana leaves, which is an auspicious sign of antidiabetic property. Accordingly, this study has evaluated the antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic activities of methanolic extract of M. africana leaves. Methods. Hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic activities of the three doses (250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg, and 1000 mg/kg) of crude methanolic extract of M. africana leaf were studied on normoglycemic, oral glucose-loaded, and alloxan-induced diabetic mice models. The effect of the extract on diabetic dyslipidemia, insulin and glycated hemoglobin levels, carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes, and body weight was also studied in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Glibenclamide (5 mg/kg) was used as a standard drug in all cases. Data analysis was carried out using mixed-design ANOVA. A P value of ≤0.05 was considered a statistically significant difference. Results. The methanolic extract of M. africana leaf did not show acute toxicity up to the dose of 5000 mg/kg and showed better glucose utilization in the oral glucose tolerance test. After 14 days of treatment, M. africana leaf extract decreased the blood glucose level, glycated hemoglobin, glucose-6-phosphatase, and fructose-1-6-bisphosphatase in diabetic mice. In contrast, it increased hexokinase and insulin levels in diabetic mice. Moreover, weight loss and dyslipidemia profiles have been corrected significantly in diabetic mice. Conclusion. M. africana leaves showed antihyperglycemic and antidyslipidemic effects in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. That suggests M. africana may be a potential treatment option for diabetes in the future. However, further molecular studies are required to analyze the mechanisms.

Antidiabetic Activity of Mung Bean or Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek Seeds in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Mice

“…Before receiving alloxan, the animals went on a 16-hour fast [35]. Fresh solutions of alloxan were given intraperitoneally to each mouse at a dose of 150 mg/kg after being dissolved with the appropriate volume of normal saline (0.9%) [38][39][40]. Following the administration of alloxan, animals were examined for diabetes 72 hours later, and those with fasting BGL higher than 200 mg/dl were designated as diabetic mice for the study [35,39,41,42].…”

Phytochemical Content and Antidiabetic Properties of Most Commonly Used Antidiabetic Medicinal Plants of Kenya

“…α-glucosidase inhibition by the fruit extracts [100]. Leaf extract reduced the levels of blood sugar in diabetes-induced albino rats [148], decreased levels of blood glucose, total cholesterol, glucose-6-phosphatase, glycated hemoglobin, fructose-1-6-bisphosphatase, and triglyceride, and increased levels of HDL cholesterol, insulin, and hexokinase [148].…”

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“…It is becoming a worldwide public health problem leading to macro and microvascular complications 2 . Diabetic patients in the age group between 20 and 79 years are predicted to increase to 700 million by 2045 3 .…”