title: Antioxidant effects of Gongronema latifolium in hepatocytes of rat models of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Gongronema latifolium is a rainforest plant, which has been traditionally used in the South Eastern part of Nigeria for the management of diabetes. The effects of oral administration of aqueous and ethanolic G. latifolium leaf extracts for 2 weeks on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were investigated. Both extracts were shown to significantly increase the activity of superoxide dismutase and the level of reduced glutathione. The aqueous extract further increased the activity of glutathione reductase while the ethanolic extract caused a significant increase in the activity of glutathione peroxidase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that the extracts from G. latifolium leaves could exert their antidiabetic activities through their antioxidant properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Florida, Tallahassee 32307, USA. ngozi.ugochukwu@famu.edu
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Ugochukwu
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Babady
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D029062:Apocynaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D009549:Nigeria; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts