Abstract:
Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease of multiple aetiologies in insulin secretion.
A deficiency in insulin results in hyperglycemia with metabolic disturbances of biomolecules.
Moringa oleifera (MO) is endemic in the tropics with a variety of ethnomedicinal importance. The leaf
of this plant has been reported to possess antioxidant and medicinal properties that may be helpful
in the treatment and management of diabetes and its associated complications. Diabetes was induced
intraperitoneally in rats by a single dose of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg) and treated with methanolic
extract of Moringa oleifera (250 mg/kg b.wt) for six weeks. Forty-eight (48) adult male Wistar strain
rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control (NC), Moringa oleifera treated control
rats (NC + MO), diabetic rats (DM) and Moringa oleifera treated diabetic rats (DM + MO). Estimation
of antioxidant capacity, total polyphenols, flavonoids and flavonols content of Moringa oleifera extract
was performed and serum biochemical markers were evaluated. Antioxidants such as catalase
(CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, glutathione (GSH) and
inflammatory biomarkers were determined in the kidney. Results showed high antioxidant capacities
of MO extract and improved serum biochemical markers, whilst lipid peroxidation (MDA) levels
were reduced in non-diabetic and diabetic rats after MO treatment when compared to normal control.
Subsequent administration of MO led to an increased concentration of serum albumin, globulin and
total protein with a decrease in the level of MDA, and improvements in CAT, SOD, GSH, GPx, (tumour
necrosis factor-alpha)TNF-α and (interleukin-6)IL-6. MO contains potent phytochemical constituents
that offer protective action against diabetic-induced renal damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS)
and inflammation and could therefore play a role in reducing diabetic complications, particularly in
developing countries such as in Africa where the majority cannot afford orthodox medicine.
