Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Control of hyperlipidaemia, hypercholesterolaemia and hyperketonaemia by aqueous extract of Dioscorea dumetorum tuber

Rachel . Nimenibo-Uadia

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Benin, P.M.B. 1154, Benin City, Nigeria;

For correspondence:- Email: nim-uad@mail.com

Published: 20 June 2003

Citation: Nimenibo-Uadia R.. Control of hyperlipidaemia, hypercholesterolaemia and hyperketonaemia by aqueous extract of Dioscorea dumetorum tuber. Trop J Pharm Res 2003; 2(1):183-189 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v2i1.9

© 2003 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: Dioscorea dumetorum (Pax) used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus possesses hypoglycaemic effect. The present study investigates the effect of oral administration of the aqueous extract of the tuber on blood lipid and ketone levels in alloxan–induced diabetic rats.
Method: Wistar strain albino rats were made diabetic with the intraperitoneal administration of alloxan monohydrate. Consequently, an aqueous extract of Dioscorea dumetorum tuber was administered orally to the diabetic rats and their plasma and urine glucose, triacylglycerol, c ho le s t e ro l a nd â -hydroxybutyrate concentrations were estimated using standard procedures. Results were compared with untreated normal and diabetic control rats. Phytochemical screening of the extract of the tuber was also carried out.

Results: Treatment with the extract significantly (p<0.05) reduced elevated blood levels of triacylglycerol, cholesterol and b–hydroxybutyrate associated with alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus. The aqueous extract tested positive for flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins and cardiac glycosides.
Conclusion: From this study, the tuber has proved not only to be an effective hypoglycaemic agent, but also possesses significant (p<0.05) hypolipidaemic and hypocholesterolaemic properties while also ameliorating ketosis.

Keywords: Allo xa n, ÃƒÂ¢ -hydroxybutyrate, diabetes, cholesterol, Dioscorea dumetorum, triacylglycerol