Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Protective effect of methanol-methylene chloride extract of Terminalia glaucescens leaves on streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice

Guy BSN Njomen¹, René Kamgang¹ , Petit RN Soua¹, Jean LE Oyono², Njifutie Njikam¹

¹General Endocrinology and Metabolism Systems (GEMS), Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon; ²Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1 and IMPM - Yaounde, Cameroon.

For correspondence:- René Kamgang Email: gemskruy@yahoo.fr

Published: 23 February 2009

Citation: Njomen GB, Kamgang R, Soua PR, Oyono JL, Njikam N. Protective effect of methanol-methylene chloride extract of Terminalia glaucescens leaves on streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice. Trop J Pharm Res 2009; 8(1):19-26 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v8i1.4

© 2009 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: Terminalia glaucescens (Combretaceae) is traditionally used in Cameroon in the treatment of diabetes. The anti-hyperglycemic effect of the methanol-methylene chloride extract of the leaves of this plant was investigated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice.

Methods: Diabetes was induced in mice by a daily dose of STZ (45 mg kg^-1 body weight i.p.) for 5 days. From one day before STZ injection, normal and diabetic-test mice received one oral dose of the extract (100 mg kg^-1 or 300 mg kg^-1 body weight) daily for 15 days. The effect of the extract on body weight gain, food and water intake, plasma metabolites (glucose and lipids) and insulin levels was investigated.

Results: Diabetic control mice and diabetic mice pre-treated with 100 mg kg^-1 extract showed body weight loss, marked (P< 0.001) polyphagia and polydipsia, high plasma metabolites and glucose (P< 0.001), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) (P< 0.05), triglycerides (TG) (P< 0.05), and cholesterol (P< 0.05) and low insulin (P< 0.001) levels. Normal control, i.e., normal treated mice and 300 mg kg^-1 extract pre-treated diabetic mice, presented normal weight gain, normal food and water intake, normal plasma metabolites and insulin levels, and did not exhibit very significant changes (P<0.1) in blood glucose level.

Conclusion: These results indicate that the extract of T. glaucescens leaf at a dose of 300 mg kg^-1 protects against STZ-induced diabetic effects and could explain the traditional use of this plant in the management of diabetes.

Keywords: Terminalia glaucescens, streptozotocin, diabetes mellitus, glycemia, lipemia