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ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus has been considered as one of the major health concerns all around the world today. This had led many investigators in search medicinal plants as an additional treatment for diabetes beside insulin for a long time. Currently, garlic (allium sativum) is becoming one of the most extensively studied plants in the control of diabetes. Garlic, contain sulphur compound such as S-allyl cysteine sulphoxide (allicin) which has antioxidant effects and increases the amount of catalase and glutathione peroxidase to protect pancreatic β-cells from oxidative damage. SACS (S-allyl cysteine sulphoxide) also stimulates insulin secretion in isolated β-cells in normal rats. Thirty-six (36) wistar rats were selected and grouped into six (6) groups of 6 rats each. Group 1 served as control group fed only with normal diets plus water ad libitum, group 2 were alloxan induced diabetic rats without the administration of aqueous extract of Allium sativum, group 3 were non-diabetic rats that were administered with aqueous extract of allium sativum, group 4 were alloxan induced diabetic rats that were admistered with aqueous extract of Allium sativum. Group 4 was further divided into three sub-groups of 6 each as follows; 4a (low dose) administered with 25mg /kg /day of allium sativum, 4b (moderate dose) administered with 50mg /kg /day of allium sativum and 4c (high dose) administered with 100mg /kg /day of allium sativum. Four rats were sampled from each group, their blood glucose level and weight was evaluated and recorded weekly for three weeks. Results were presented as Mean ± SEM (Standard Error of Mean), one way Analysis of Variance (one way ANOVA) was carried out to find the differences between the mean values gained and p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result shows no statistically significant (p>0.05) difference in weight of rats across all groups throughout the three weeks when compared to control. Blood glucose readings after one week of administration of garlic extract, shows a statistically significant (p<0.05) increase in diabetic rat treated with 50 mg/kg garlic extract compared to non-diabetic treated with 100 mg/kg garlic extract after (p<0.05). After two weeks, result shows a statistically significant increase in mean blood glucose level (mg/dl) in diabetic rats treated with 50 mg/kg garlic extract compared to control, non-treated diabetic rats and non-diabetic rats treated with 100 mg/kg garlic extract after two weeks (p<0.05). At the end of the third week, there was a statistically significant decrease in the mean blood glucose level (mg/dl) across all groups when compared to control (p<0.05). It was concluded that garlic extract has no significant effect on alloxan-induced diabetes in rats.
