The study was carried out to investigate the comparative effects of two anti-diabetic plants Cataranthus roseus (C.R) and Nauclea latifolium (N.L) on some biochemical indices of streptozotocin induced diabetic albino wistar rats. Ethanolic leaf extracts of C.R. and N.L. were given at daily doses of 500mg/kg body weight in two divided doses each for 14 days. Thirty albino wistar rats were divided into five (5) groups, consisting of 6 rats each viz: Group 1(normal control), Group 2(diabetic control), Group 3(insulin treated), Group 4(received N.L) and Group 5 (received C.R.). Fasting blood glucose levels showed significant decrease (P<0.05) in all the test groups compared to diabetic control and closely related to the insulin treated groups. A significant increase (P<0.05) was observed in triglycerides(TG) and total cholesterol(TC) concentration of all treated groups compared to the diabetic control group. The concentration of VLDL-cholesterol was significantly increased (P<0.05) in the diabetic control group and insulin group when compared to the normal control group. LDL-cholesterol concentration (mg/dl) was significantly increased (P<0.05) in all the treated groups when compared to the normal control group except for C.R treated group that shows a significant decrease compared with the diabetic control group. AST activity was increased in insulin and diabetic groups. A significant reduction (P<0.05) was observed with the treated group of C.R. and N.L compared to the normal control group. Significant increase in ALT activity was observed in diabetic and insulin groups compared to the treated groups and the normal control groups. Also observed was a decrease in albumin level in groups treated with the extracts. Marked reduction in total protein level was observed in groups treated with extracts and insulin, compared to the normal control group. Serum concentrations of Na+, K+, Cl– in diabetic control groups showed a significant increase (P<0.05) compared to the normal control group. K+ concentration was observed to be significantly decreased (P<0.05) in all groups treated with extract and insulin compared to the normal control group. A significant increase (P<0.05) in concentration of Cl– was observed in all groups treated with the extracts and insulin compared with normal control groups. The results demonstrated that C.roseus and N.latifolium have anti-diabetic and hypolipidaemic properties and could be potential herbal remedy in treating and managing diabetic conditions.
Keywords: Cataranthus roseus, Nuclea Latifolium, triglycerides(TG) and total cholesterol(TC) concentration.
