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- Background: Diabetes mellitus remains a significant global health challenge, with traditional medicinal plants offering promising therapeutic potential. Brachystegia eurycoma has been traditionally employed in African medicine for diabetes management, yet its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Purpose: To evaluate the antidiabetic potential and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of B. eurycoma leaf extract through both In vitro and In vivo studies. Methods: The ethanol extract was assessed for antioxidant activity (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP), α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, and phytochemical content. Alloxan-induced diabetic rats received oral doses (100–400 mg/kg) for 21 days. Multiple parameters, including glycemic indices, insulin, glycogen, metabolic enzymes, antioxidant markers, inflammatory mediators, and lipid profiles, were evaluated. Results: The extract demonstrated significant antioxidant activity (73.32 % DPPH, 58.88 % ABTS inhibition) with high phenolic (348.8 mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoid (158.26 mg QE/kg) content. In diabetic rats, 400 mg/kg treatment reduced hyperglycemia by 31.5 %, increased insulin by 82 %, and enhanced glycogen by 84 %. Hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities improved to 11 % and 52.5 % of normal control, while glucose-6-phosphatase decreased to 55 % of diabetes control. Treatment significantly reduced inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6) and improved lipid profiles with a marked increase in HDL and reduction in LDL and triglycerides (p < 0.05). Conclusion: B. eurycoma leaf extract exhibits multifaceted antidiabetic effects through antioxidant activity, carbohydrate-metabolizing enzyme inhibition, and metabolic regulation, supporting its traditional use and warranting further clinical investigation.
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- Chrysobalanus orbicularis is a medicinal plant present in West Africa in the Itsekiri speaking part of Nigeria. It is used conventionally in diabetes mellitus management. This research investigates the ameliorative activity of the aqueous leaf extract of C. orbicularis in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. Freshly prepared streptozotocin (40 mg/kg body weight [BW]) was administered intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. Three diabetic groups were placed on aqueous leaf extract of C. orbicularis at 11.076, 22.134, and 44.268 mg/kg BW respectively; a group was placed on metformin (44.28 mg/kg BW), and the other two groups were the diabetic control and normal control. The experiment lasted for 28 days, thereafter, fasting blood glucose levels and body weight variations were recorded. Also, glycogen level, antioxidant enzyme, hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities, malonaldehyde (MDA) as well as glucose transporters 2 and 4 levels were analyzed using standard procedures. Diabetic rats administered aqueous extract of C. orbicularis leaf significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the fasting blood glucose and MDA levels, and glucose-6-phosphatase activity. In addition, administration of aqueous extract of C. orbicularis leaf to diabetic rats demonstrated a momentous increase in liver glycogen level, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, glutathione transferase, and hexokinase activities as well as GLUT-2 and GLUT-4 levels. The data from this study suggest that the aqueous extract of C. orbicularis leaf may be beneficial in the management of diabetic mellitus and its secondary effects.
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