South Asian Research Journal of Natural Products

Aims: To evaluate the antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, hypolipidaemic, haematological, and cardioprotective effects of Sphenostylis stenocarpa leaf extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Study Design: Experimental animal study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Abia State University, Nigeria, conducted over 28 days.

Methodology: Seventy-eight male albino rats were used, comprising 30 rats for acute toxicity testing and 48 rats for the antidiabetic study. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (65 mg/kg body weight), and diabetic rats were treated orally with a low dose (400 mg/kg) or a high dose (800 mg/kg) of S. stenocarpa leaf extract, glibenclamide (3 mg/kg), an oral antidiabetic drug that lowers blood glucose primarily by stimulating pancreatic β-cells to increase insulin secretion, or metformin (100 mg/kg), an oral antidiabetic drug that lowers blood glucose mainly by reducing hepatic glucose production and improving insulin sensitivity, for 28 days. Body weight, blood glucose, liver and renal function, lipid profile, haematological indices, antioxidant parameters, inflammatory cytokines, and cardiac markers were assessed using standard methods.

Results: No mortality was recorded at extract doses up to 5000 mg/kg body weight. The diabetic control showed a significant weight loss of -23.44 ± 6.28 g, whereas extract-treated groups recorded weight gains of 2.85 ± 0.13 and 3.39 ± 1.53 g for the low and high doses, respectively. Blood glucose decreased to 111.00 ± 11.88 and 105.00 ± 16.04 mg/dl in the low- and high-dose groups, respectively, compared with 212.50 ± 64.96 mg/dl in diabetic controls. The extract improved liver and renal function, lipid profile, haematological indices, and antioxidant status, reducing malondialdehyde from 7.96 ± 0.20 mg/dl to 5.25–5.93 mg/dl. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha decreased from 68.40 ± 2.15 to 39.13–43.40 pg/ml, while lactate dehydrogenase decreased from 361.33 ± 22.90 to 225.00–245.65 U/L.

Conclusion: S. stenocarpa leaf extract demonstrated significant antidiabetic and protective effects against diabetes-associated metabolic, oxidative, inflammatory, hepatic, renal, haematological, and cardiac alterations.

Recommendation: Further studies are recommended to identify the bioactive constituents and establish their mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential.