Lipid Peroxidation, Lipid Profile Changes and Antioxidant Properties of the Combination of Vernonia amygdalina and Ficus exasperata on the Blood, Liver and Kidney of Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Background: The use of plants known to possess significant antioxidant activities have been widely recommended in the complementary and alternate system of medicine in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Among the many plant used in Nigeria for the management of DM are Vernonia amygdalina and Ficus exasperata. This study was designed to assess the effect of the combination of the aqueous extract of Vernonia amygdalina and Ficus exasperata on blood glucose level, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in alloxan-induced diabetes in rats.

Method: Twenty five rats were divided into five groups. Four groups were made diabetic by the intra-peritoneal administration of alloxan monohydrate (150mg/kg body weight) while the fifth group served as normal control. Serum, hepatic and renal concentrations of reduced glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as well as the catalase activity were determined. The blood lipid profile and some hepatic enzymes were also studied.

Result: The combined extract lowered lipid peroxidation, increase glutathione concentration and catalase activity in all the tissues of diabetic rats. The individual extract lowered the total cholesterol LDL-Cholesterol, coronary risk index (CRI), and atherogenic index (AI) while increasing the concentration of HDL cholesterol in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes lowered hepatic enzymes’ activities but the leaf extract significantly increased it.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that combination of the extracts showed additive effect on each other and it is highly recommended for the management of diabetes.