ABSTRACT
Aims:The study examines effect of aqueous-fraction of ethanolic extractof Balanites aegyptiacastem-bark on enzymes of glucose metabolism in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats in a bid to ascertain its anti-hyperglycemic and possible mechanism of action.Methodology:Diabetes was induced in male rats by intra-peritoneal injection of 60 mg/kg body weight of STZ. Dried powdered Balanitesaegyptiacastem-bark was defatted with hexane and extracted using ethanol followed by solvent-solvent fractionation with water and ethyl acetate. The aqueous fraction (ASF) obtained was subjected to acute toxicity on wistar rats using a gradient dosage, where 1/10thof lethal dose was calculated and used for the study. It was orally administered at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight of diabetic rats, metformin (200 mg/kg body wt) serve as reference drug and diabetic/normal untreated rats received 10 % dimethyl sulfurdioxide for the 28 days treatment period. On day 29th, rats were sacrificed; blood and liver samples were collected. Liver tissues were homogenized, centrifuged and the supernatants were used for assay of glucose metabolic enzymes while serum was used for biochemical markers estimations.Results:Results obtained showed no death or lethal effect in the acute toxicity study up to a dose of 4000 mg/kg body wt. Therefore, the LD50value was considered to be more than 4000 mg/kg body wt.Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats treated with ASF showed a significant (P<0.05) reversal effect in activities of the glucose metabolic enzymes assayed compare to untreated diabetic rats. Glucokinase activity was enhanced (2.98±2.23U/min/mg Protein) against untreated diabetic (2.22±0.02 U/min/mg Protein) as well as glycogen synthase (12.48±0.11x10-2U/min/mg Protein) against untreated diabetic (9.41±0.34x10-2U/min/mg Protein. Glucose-6-phosphatase activity was suppressed in the diabetic rats received ASF (0.26±0.03 U/min/mg Protein) compare to the untreated diabetic (1.44±0.05 U/min/mg Protein). Glycogen content of the treated diabetic ratswas elevated to 13.77±0.32 mg/g liver against the diabetic untreated rats (10.69±0.32 mg/g liver).A significant reduction in fasting blood glucose was recorded from the ASF treated diabetic rats (290.4±18.4mg/dL) compared to diabetic untreated rats (336.0±11.9mg/dL). Conclusion: The study suggested that Balanites aegyptiacastem-bark may contained compound(s) that has the capacity to reverse the activity of glucose metabolic enzymes to exert antihyperglycemic activity.
ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is one of the disease for which a satisfactory treatment is not available in modern allopathic system of medicine. Therefore, there is a need to develop newer treatment strategies of plant origin as they are known to have fewer side effects. The present study investigated the possible therapeutic effects of Balanite aegyptiaca kernel cake on certain biochemical markers in alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus in rats. Diabetes was induced in albino rats by single intraperitoneal injection of Alloxan (70mg/kg body weight). Normal diet supplemented with 10% and 20% of kernel cake of Balanites aegyptiaca were fed to diabetic rats for three weeks. The effects of the aegyptiaca kernel cake on blood glucose, albumin, urea, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglyceride and the activities of liver marker enzymes aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase were examined in the serum of control and treated groups. Supplementation of Balanites aegyptiaca kernel cake 10% and 20% to diabetic rats for Three weeks significantly reduced blood glucose (451.80 ± 5.4 to 408.60 ± 1.8), urea (429.30±1.10 to 203.40± 4.1), and creatinine (2.05±0.05 to 1.80±0.21) but increased the levels of albumin (3.14±0.07 to 3.50±0.01), and restored all marker enzymes to near normal levels. The present results showed that Balanites aegyptiaca kernel cake has an antihyperglycaemic and antihyperlipidemic effect and consequently may alleviate liver and renal damage associated with Alloxan - induced diabetes mellitus in rats.
ABSTRACT
Aims: To determine the phytochemicals and antibacterial potentials of parts of Balanite aegyptiaca on clinically important antibiotic resistant bacteria isolates Study Design: Phytochemicals and in vitro assay of antibacterial Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biological Science Technology, Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, between April, 2013 and January, 2014 Methodology: Collection of bacterial isolates; antibiogram of the bacterial isolates; preparation of plant extracts; phytochemical analyses of the plant parts on aqueous extracts; In vitro susceptibility test (agar well diffusion assay) Results: The antibiogram showed that all the isolates used in this study are multidrug resistant. The results of the phytochemical analyses on aqueous extracts showed that the leaves of B. aegyptiaca possessed all the phytochemical components tested except anthroquinones and alkaloids, while root bark lack anthroquinones, cardiac glycosides and phlobatannins and stem bark possessed only flavonoids and polyphenols. The presence of phytochemical components in the stem bark is significantly less than those in the leaf and root bark (p<0.05). The presence of these phytochemicals has provided some biochemical basis for ethno pharmacological uses of this plant parts in the treatment and prevention of various diseases and disorders. Using agar well diffusion method, the B. aegyptiaca parts were screened for antibacterial activities against antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella sp., Shigella sp. and Citrobacter sp. at 100mg/ml concentration. The results of the antibacterial activity showed that the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of all the parts of B. aegyptiaca has varying antibacterial activity against the tested isolates. The hot aqueous and cold aqueous extracts of leaves of B. aegyptiaca have no activity against Citrobacter spp. and Staphylococcus aureus respectively. The hot aqueous extract of stem bark has significant antibacterial activity against all the tested isolates except Salmonella spp, while the cold water extract of the same part has no activity against Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Citrobacter spp. The ethanolic, hot and cold aqueous extracts of root bark of B. aegyptiaca have no activity against Salmonella spp. Although the presence of phytochemical components in the stem bark is significantly less than those in the leaf and root bark (p<0.05), their antibacterial activities however, showed no significant difference (P=0.10) to all the isolates. The results further showed that the antibacterial activity of cold aqueous extracts of Balanite aegyptiaca parts is significantly lower than those of ethanolic extracts and hot aqueous extracts (p<0.05). However, there is no significant difference between the antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract and hot aqueous extract of all the parts on the isolates (P=0.06). Conclusion: This study investigates and reports the phytochemicals antibacterial potentials of Balanites aegyptiaca on resistant bacteria isolates. This therefore justify the use of this plant in traditional medicine practices for the diseases caused by the microorganisms.