Effect of Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae) stem bark methylene chloride/methanol extract on streptozotocin-diabetic rats

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 110; no. 3; pp. 434 - 438
• Main Authors: Dimo, Théophile, Rakotonirina, Silvere V., Tan, Paul V., Azay, Jacqueline, Dongo, Etienne, Kamtchouing, Pierre, Cros, Gérard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 04-04-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Anacardiaceae; Anacardiaceae - chemistry; Animals; bark; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose; Blood Glucose - drug effects; blood plasma; Cameroon; chemical constituents of plants; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - blood; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - chemically induced; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Endocrinology and metabolism; ethnobotany; General pharmacology; Glucose; Glucose Tolerance Test; herbal medicines; Human health and pathology; Hypoglycemic Agents; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Insulin; Insulin - blood; Life Sciences; Male; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Medicine, African Traditional; Metformin; Metformin - therapeutic use; Methanol; Methylene Chloride; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Bark; Plant Extracts; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; quantitative analysis; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sclerocarya birrea; stems; Streptozocin; Streptozotocin; traditional medicine; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - blood; Urea; Urea - blood; Weight Loss; Weight Loss - drug effects; Cameroon; Sclerocarya birrea; Glucose; Diabetes; Insulin; Streptozotocin; Endocrinopathy; Antineoplastic agent; Pancreatic hormone; Rat; Bark; Extract; Stem; Medicinal plant; Protein hormone; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Anacardiaceae; Aldose; Pharmacognosy; Diabetes mellitus; Rodentia; Vertebrata; Antibiotic; Mammalia; Animal; Plant origin; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2006.10.020

Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae) is used as a traditional treatment of diabetes in Cameroon. In this study, we investigated the possible antidiabetic effect of the stem bark extract in diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by intravenous injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 55
mg/kg) to male Wistar rats. Experimental animals (six per group), were treated by oral administration of plant extract (150 and 300
mg/kg body weight) and metformin (500
mg/kg; reference drug) for comparison, during 21 days. The stem bark methanol/methylene chloride extract of
Sclerocarya birrea exhibited at termination, a significant reduction in blood glucose and increased plasma insulin levels in diabetic rats. The extract also prevented body weight loss in diabetic rats. The effective dose of the plant extract (300
mg/kg) tended to reduce plasma cholesterol, triglyceride and urea levels toward the normal levels. Four days after diabetes induction, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was also performed in experimental diabetic rats. The results showed a significant improvement in glucose tolerance in rats treated with
Sclerocarya birrea extract. Metformin, a known antidiabetic drug (500
mg/kg), significantly decreased the integrated area under the glucose curve. These data indicate that
Sclerocarya birrea treatment may improve glucose homeostasis in STZ-induced diabetes which could be associated with stimulation of insulin secretion.