title: Antidiabetic activities of aqueous ethanol and n-butanol fraction of Moringa stenopetala leaves in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Moringa stenopetala has been used in traditional health systems to treat diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic activity of aqueous ethanol and n-butanol fraction of Moringa stenopetala leaves in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aqueous ethanol extract and n-butanol fraction of Moringa stenopetala leaves hydroalcoholic (500 mg/kg body weight) and metformin (150 mg/kg body weight) were administered to diabetic rats. Blood glucose, lipid profiles, liver and kidney function were examined after 14 days of experiment. Histopathological profile of the pancreas was also observed in diabetic rats at the end of study. An oral sucrose challenge test was also carried out to assess the post prandial effect of the extract.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oral administration of the aqueous ethanol and n-butanol extracts of Moringa stenopetala leaves (500 mg/kg body weight) and metformin (150 mg/kg) significantly reduced blood glucose level (P<0.05), improved serum lipid profiles, liver enzymes and kidney functions in diabetic rats after 14 days. The extracts also improved damage of islet of Langerhan's in diabetic rats. The plant material reduced the post-prandial glucose level (P<0.001) at the dose of 750 mg/kg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings revealed that both the aqueous ethanol and n-butanol extracts of Moringa stenopetala leaves possess antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic properties, and alleviate STZ-induced pancreatic damage in diabetic rats. The beneficial effects of plant material in inhibition of diabetes-induced complications are being investigated.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. alemayehutoma@gmail.com.|Pharmacology Unit, School of Medicine, Hawassa University, P.o. box 1560, Hawassa, Ethiopia. alemayehutoma@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alemayehu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toma
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. eyasumakonnen@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Eyasu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Makonnen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. yalem_mekonnen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yelamtsehay
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mekonnen
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Traditional and Modern Drug Research, Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. asfawdebella@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Asfaw
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Debella
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, 10330, Bangkok, Thailand. sirichai.A@chula.ac.th.
authors.forename: Sirichai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adisakwattana
mesh_terms: D020001:1-Butanol; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; D000431:Ethanol; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D029587:Moringa / Q000737:chemistry*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D013311:Streptozocin
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000431:Ethanol; D013311:Streptozocin; D020001:1-Butanol