Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Antihyperglycaemic and hypolipidemic effect of methanol extracts of Ageratum conyzoides L (Asteraceae) in normal and diabetic rats

Sunday E Atawodi , Oluwafemi A Adepoju, Humphrey C Nzelibe

Biochemistry Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria;

For correspondence:- Sunday Atawodi Email: atawodi_se@yahoo.com Tel:+2348033850613

Received: 30 June 2016 Accepted: 6 April 2017 Published: 30 May 2017

Citation: Atawodi SE, Adepoju OA, Nzelibe HC. Antihyperglycaemic and hypolipidemic effect of methanol extracts of Ageratum conyzoides L (Asteraceae) in normal and diabetic rats. Trop J Pharm Res 2017; 16(5):989-996 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v16i5.4

© 2017 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the antihyperglycaemic and hypolipidemic potential of the methanol extracts of leaf, stem and root of Ageratum conyzoides in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

Methods: The extract of each of the plant part was obtained by extraction in methanol. A total of 60 male Wistar albino rats (30 induced with diabetes and 30 normoglycaemic) were assigned into diabetic and normoglycaemic groups of 6 rats each. Methanol extracts of leaf, stem and root of Ageratum conyzoides were administered orally at a dose of 100 mg/kg to the rats for a period of 14 days, with glibenclamide as the standard drug (1 mg/kg). Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile were determined to ascertain the antihyperglycaemic and hypolipidemic activities of the different parts of the plant.

Results: Ageratum conyzoides significantly (p < 0.05) reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in diabetic rats by 38.71 ± 19.41 % (leaf), 25.64 ± 20.53 % (stem), and 34.76 ± 18.03 % (root) on day 14 of the treatment, compared with untreated diabetic rats where FBG increased by 11.33±8.91 %. Total cholesterol (leaf, 119.10 ± 8.12 mg/dl; stem, 109.28 ± 8.13 mg/dl) and triglycerides (leaf, 61.71 ± 9.37 mg/dl; stem, 72.45 ± 3.39 mg/dl) levels were also significantly (p < 0.05) lowered in diabetic rats. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (leaf, 77.21 ± 8.12 mg/dl; stem, 64.76 ± 8.04 mg/dl; root, 79.08 ± 10.61 mg/dl) levels were significantly (p < 0.05) lowered in all treated diabetic groups compared with the untreated diabetic rats (103.19 ± 6.08 mg/dl).

Conclusion: The results from this study indicate that Ageratum conyzoides has hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic properties in rats, and this probably justifies its reported use in the traditional management of diabetes mellitus

Keywords: Ageratum conyzoides, Diabetes mellitus, Antihyperglycaemic, Hypolipidemic