FREE RADICAL SCAVAGING ACTIVITY AND ANTIDIABETIC PROPERTY OF ETHANOL STEM BARK EXTRACT OF Uapaca togoensis IN ALLOXAN INDUCED DIABETIC ALBINO RATS

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a disease of worldwide significance and increasing prevalence. This places a demand on researchers to find a solution to it through ethnomedicine. This study investigated the toxicological, antioxidant, anti-diabetic property and hyperlipidemic effect of Uapaca togoensis stem bark extract in alloxan induced diabetic wistar rats. Thirty (30) albino rats were assigned into six groups (A-F) of five rats each. Group A was not induced and used as positive control/nondiabetic group, while groups B-F were induced with alloxan at 150mg/kg administered via intraperitoneally (i.p). Group B used as diabetic control was not treated but allowed access to feed and water. C, D and E were treated with 300mg/kg, 700mg/kg and 1000mg/kg of Uapaca togoensis stem bark extract respectively; while group F was treated with standard drug (glibenclimide) at a dose of 5mg/kg. The doses were administered orally and the treatment lasted for 7 days. Results indicated that the extract have hypoglycemic activity on the diabetic rats. Modified method of Lorke was employed to ascertain the extract toxicity and the result however indicated that the extract was safe for the test rats up to 5000mg per body weight dose. DPPH, FRAP and Hydrogen peroxide assays were used to assess the antioxidant activities of the extract. The results were significant at p<0.05 at all concentrations compared with the standard (vitamin C) and the % inhibitory activities were almost the same with Vitamin C in hydrogen peroxide method. This was an indication that Uapacatogeonsis extractpossess antioxidant properties.