Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.

Department of Morbid Anatomy, School of Medicine, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria.
Jatropha gossypiifolia ,Methanol leaf extract ,Diabetes mellitus ,

To evaluate the antidiabetic effect of the methanol leaf extract of Jatropha gossypiifolia L. on normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats. The leaves were extracted via cold maceration using 99.8% methanol. Diabetes mellitus was induced with a single intraperitoneal injection of 55 mg/kg streptozotocin. The effect of oral administration of methanol leaf extract of Jatropha gossypiifolia at doses 100 and 200 mg/kg and glibenclamide (5 mg/kg as reference drug) for 14 consecutive days was determined by monitoring blood glucose levels and lipid profiles on the normal and diabetic rats. Oral acute toxicity and phytochemical screening were also assessed. The extract did not produce significant reduction in blood glucose in normal rats at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day. However, it significantly reduced the blood glucose levels at the dose of 200 mg/kg/day on the 7th day by 47% (P<0.05) and 14thday by 53% (P<0.001), in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. This was comparable to that of glibenclamide, which at 5 mg/kg reduced the blood glucose of diabetic rats by 44.3% (P<0.05) and 49.56% (P<0.001) on the 7th and 14th day respectively. Both doses of the extract produced significant (P<0.05) doserelated reduction in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol only in diabetic rats. The extract also produced a significant (P<0.001) dose-related reduction in body weight and feed consumption when compared with the control group. The data obtained established that the leaves extract of J.gossypiifolia possess antidiabetic effect, and this seems to be the basis of its use in diabetes mellitus in herbal medicine.

7 , 1 , 2017