ABSTRACT
To investigate the antidiabetic capacity of the leaves of Moringa oleifera extracted with methanol on Streptozotocin induced Sprague Dawley rats in which Diabetes has been induced. The experimental rats totaling twenty-five were separated into groups of five, with five animals to a group. All of which were fed and watered with measured amounts of feed for the period of the study. Group one was used as the control group as they only received food and water. The animals in groups two to group five were induced with Diabetes mellitus by using 53mg/Kg b.wt of Streptozotocin. Animals in the second group received the standard drug – a 5mg/Kg per body weight of Glibenclamide, which the animals received once a day during the 21 days. While the animals in group 3, group 4, and group 5 were treated with graded doses of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts of a hundred mg per kg b.wt, two hundred mg per kg b.wt, and three-hundred mg per kg b.wt which was administered once a day for the three weeks of the experiment. Blood glucose levels of were taken weekly for a period of 21 days. On day twenty-two, the whole experimental animals were sacrificed and ALT, MDA, and AST analyses was conducted for each of the above-listed parameters. The result of the analyses showed that the animals treated with Moringa leaf extracts showed a vital decrease (p<0.05) of AST, MDA, and AST levels. The groups that received a hundred mg per kg b.wt, and two hundred mg per kg b.wt resulted in a substantial increase of the AST concentration. The proximate analysis showed the presence of % moisture (78.2 ± 0.47%), lipid content (0.3 ± 0.02%), crude protein content (0.88 ± 0.09%), fiber content (2.9 ± 0.2%), ash content (0.5 ± 0.05%), the carbohydrate content of (17.81 ± 0.62%). Acute toxicity readings further proved that the leaf extract was relatively nonlethal with an LD50 > 5000mg/kg body weight. Upon phytochemical screening, methanol leaf extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and phenols. These results proves that the leaves have antidiabetic effects and it also showed that it has liver protective effects due to the antioxidants and phytochemicals present.
