Evaluation of the Ameliorative Effects of Persea americana Seeds on the Biochemical and Hematological Parameters in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Background : Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic hyperglycemic condition with various types, however, Type 2 DM or Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) accounts for 90% of all DM cases. Type 2 DM thus poses the biggest burden, necessitating a search for sustainable alternatives to its costly conventional management. Medicinal plant extracts are key to addressing the cost management related challenges, especially for resource limited settings. We studied the effects of Persea americana seed extracts on biochemical and hematological indices because these get deranged in NIDDM, indicative of a worsening prognosis. Studies on seed extracts of P. americana showed beneficial effects in NIDDM, however, these focused majorly on Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) and lipids. We further explored the effects of the methanolic (ME) and total crude (TCE) extracts on the hematological indices in NIDDM rats. Materials and Methods : Type 2 DM was induced in the study animals using streptozotocin. The diabetic control and glibenclamide (GLB) groups orally received water and 10mg/kg B.W.T of GLB respectively, whereas other groups orally received either 200mg or 400mg doses of both extracts per kg B.W.T. Results : Only the higher dose of the TCE (TCE400) had a comparable FBG lowering effect to GLB (p=0.309), however, all extract groups except ME200 had ameliorative effects (p=0.09, 1.00 and 0.01 for ME400, TCE200 and TCE400 respectively). The effects of all extracts on total cholesterol (TC) and LDL unlike on triglycerides and HDL were significantly (p<0.05) better than glibenclamide’s. Only the TCEs had ameliorative effects on TC levels (p=0.18 and 0.48 for TCE200 and TCE400 respectively). All extracts except ME200, had significantly (p<0.05) better activity on mean MCH and MCV levels in comparison to GLB. Only TCE400 caused a more significant improvement in the mean RBC than GLB (p=0.004) and only TCE400 and ME400 had more significant improvement in Hct levels than GLB (p=0.04). Conclusion: Total crude extracts of Persea americana seed at doses of about 400mg/kg body weight can improve the treatment outcomes of DM in diabetic animals. Keywords Traditional medicine, Medicinal plant, Maceration, Total crude extract, Diabetes Mellitus, Ameliorative, Antidiabetic, Oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs)