LIPID PROFILE AND BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS OF ALLOXAN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS TREATED WITH AJỤ MBAISE POLYHERBAL FORMULATION

Ajụ mbaise polyherbal extract, widely consumed for medicinal and nutritional purposes is composed of stems, leaves, roots and barks of different plant species wrapped together in various proportions.  The current study was carried out to determine the effects of orally administered ethanolic Ajụ mbaise polyherbal extract on lipid profile and blood glucose levels of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Twenty male rats of Wistar strain were randomly assigned into four groups of five rats each, following a 7-day acclimatization. Group A served as normal control, Group B as diabetic control, while Groups C and D were diabetic and orally administered with 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of Ajụ mbaise polyherbal extract respectively. Extract administration lasted for fourteen days. After which, blood glucose level was checked on overnight fasted rats. Thereafter, animals were anesthetized and blood samples obtained via cardiac puncture were used for biochemical estimation of the lipid profile. Two weeks post extract administration, the blood glucose level was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the diabetic non-treated group, while no significance changes were observed in the treated-groups when compared to normal control. Also, there were no significant differences (P < 0.05) observed in the lipid parameters (HDL-c, LDL-c, TC, TG and VLDL-c) of the treated groups when compared to the normal and diabetic control groups. In conclusion, results obtained in the present study suggest that Aju mbaise polyherbal ethanolic extract administered for a 2-week period had no effect on blood glucose level and lipid parameters of the alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rats.