EVALUATION OF THE ANTIDIABETIC EFFECTS OF WATER AND METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF AVOCADO (PERSEA AMERICANA) SEED ON ALLOXAN INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIDIABETIC EFFECTS OF WATER AND METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF AVOCADO (PERSEA AMERICANA) SEED ON ALLOXAN INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

ABSTRACT

The high prevalence, problems, and cost of current medications used to manage diabetes forced the search for alternative treatments. As a result, this study aims to assess the composition, anti-diabetic potential toxicity, and tissue-protective effects of both aqueous and methanolic extracts of Persea americana (avocado pear) seed on alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats. This study was conceived and designed based on information about the seed’s local use in diabetes treatment. The seed’s proximate and anti-nutritional contents were assessed, and 100g of the sample was extracted with 1000ml of water and methanol using the maceration method. The extracts were evaporated to dryness with a rotary evaporator and stored at 4°C until use. The effects of different doses (200mg/kg.b.wt., 300mg/kg.b.wt.) of water and methanolic extracts of P. americana seed on alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats were compared to those of insulin, a reference medication. The rats’ glucose and weight were measured weekly for 21 days. The liver function tests and histopathologies of the liver and kidneys were studied. The seed has a high carbohydrate content (49.03 ± 0.02 g/100g), fat (17.90 ± 0.14 g/100g), protein (15.55 ± 0.36 g/100g), moisture (15.10 ± 0.14 g/100g), and ash (2.26 ± 0.23 g/100g). Anti-nutritional components include total oxalate (14.98±0.03 mg/100g), tannin (6.98±0.04 mg/100g), and phytic acid (3.18±0.16 mg/1 00g). The results also revealed that the water and methanolic extracts had considerable anti-diabetic effects on the experimental rats. However, methanolic extracts had a stronger anti-diabetic impact than water extracts. The extracts had no significant effect on liver function markers (bilirubin, conjugate bilirubin, AST, ALP, and ALT) when compared to the normal control, but they did reverse the histological damage that occurred in alloxan-induced albino diabetic rats. Finally, our work provides a pharmacological basis for the traditional usage of P. americana seed extracts in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. P. americana seed appears to have a significant number of nutrients, making it suitable for use as animal feed or food. However, further investigations are required to determine the specific chemical responsible for the anti-diabetic benefits of the seed extract.

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

During the past decade, the traditional systems have acquired relevance in the field of medicine. The World Health Organization estimates that 4 billion people, 80% of the world population (WHO, 2002), presently use herbal medicine for some part of primary health care (Orisataoki and Oguntibeju, 2010).

Eighty percent (80%) of African populations use traditional herbal medicine (WHO, 2002), and the global yearly market for these items approaches $60 billion (Willcox and Bodeker, 2004).

Herbal medicine is an essential component of every indigenous people’s traditional medicine. Medicinal plants have continued to draw interest in the global search for effective ways to use plant parts (e.g., seeds, leaves, stems, roots, barks, etc.) to cure a variety of human diseases (Sofowora, 2008). This is due to the ongoing demand for less expensive methods of disease control.

Medicinal plants are plants that can be used for therapeutic purposes or as precursors to the synthesis of useful drugs (Sofowora, 2008).

Many significant medications used in healthcare today are obtained directly from plants because of their bioactive ingredients, such as alkaloids, tannins, steroids, and so on.

Examples include L-Dopa obtained from Mucuna spp., which is used to treat Parkinson’s disease; Caffeine, a CNS stimulant derived from Camellia sinensis; and Quinine, derived from Cinchona ledgeriana and used to treat malaria and fever.