Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a dangerous chronic illness that develops over time when the body cannot correctly use the insulin it does make, cannot create enough insulin or both and this leads to elevated blood glucose levels. If not properly managed, it can lead to serious health complications such as cardiovascular diseases, kidney damage, nerve damage, visual loss, etc that can be life-threatening or cause disability, but if diabetes is well-managed, these serious complications can be delayed or avoided. This study was carried out to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of aqueous stem-bark extract of Azadirachta indica on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats. 60 mg/kg of STZ was administered intraperitoneally to Wistar rats which induced diabetes. Thirty male rats were randomly distributed into groups of 5 rats each. Normal and diabetic groups received distilled water; diabetic rats were orally treated with 100, 300 and 400 mg/kg A. indica stem-bark extract and 5 mg/kg glibenclamide for 4 weeks. Fasting blood glucose was monitored weekly. Administration of STZ significantly (p<0.05) increased fasting blood glucose, TC, TG, LDL, urea and creatinine levels. SOD, CAT, GSH, HDL levels were significantly reduced. However, treatment with the extract reversed the effect of STZ on above parameters. It is observed from the study that the extract is potent in the management of diabetes.