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ABSTRACT
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus ) is a widely consumed beverage for nourishment and the remedy of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Africa locally. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of lemongrass aqueous extract in normal and streptozotocin-induced Wistar rats. Forty five(45) male albino rats, weighing 80-120g were used. The lemongrass was prepared by boiling, filtered and freeze dried to obtain the extract. The animals were divided into four (4) groups: normal control (n = 5), diabetic control (n = 15), normal treated (n = 5), and diabetic treated (n = 15). The normal control rats were only given the vehicle (citrate buffer) and fed ad libitum throughout the course of the experiment, to serve as the control. The diabetic rats were injected with the streptozotocin at a dose of 45mg/kg and fed ad libitum. Streptozotocin caused a significant increase (P<0.05) in the diabetic rats compared to normal control rats. The rats in the treated groups were intraperitoneally with the extract at a dose of 400mg/kg body weight for 21 days and the blood glucose levels and weights were recorded. At the end of the experiment, weights, blood glucose levels, kidney functions (urea, creatinine), were assessed. The results indicated that lemon grass aqueous extract reduced blood glucose levels significantly (P<0.05) in the normal rats, though the effect was not as strong in the diabetic rats relative to their respective controls. A non-significant decrease (P>0.05) in body weight was observed in the normal treated rats. A significant increase in serum urea levels of normal treated rats compared to its control (p<0.05) and a significant decrease in the diabetic treated rats was observed (p<0.05). There was no significant change observed in serum creatinine levels amongst the group. According to these results, moderate amounts of lemongrass aqueous extract in our diets may be used for improvement of glucose homeostasis.
