Cases of diabetic kidney disease continue to increase worldwide despite advances in knowledge of the disease. Oxidative stress
has been shown to play major role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, since free radicals are formed disproportionately in
diabetes by glucose oxidation, non-enzymatic glycation of proteins and subsequently, oxidative degradation of glycated proteins. This study was designed to investigate the ameliorative and antioxidant effects of crude Aqueous Leaf Extract of
Ficus exasperata
(ALEFE) on the kidney of STZ induced diabetic wistar rats. The investigation involved five (5) groups (A-E) of rats containing six rats (n=6). Group A served as normal control while groups B, C, D and E were injected with STZ 60 mg/kg body weight (bw) intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. Rats in group B served as diabetic control. Rats in groups C, D and E were treated with 5mg/kg bw of glibenclamide orally, 100mg/kg bw of ALEFE and 200mg/kg bw of ALEFE respectively via orogastric tube. Antioxidant results showed significantly increased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in ALEFE treated diabetic rats as compared to untreated diabetic rats. Malonyldialdehyde (MDA) levels were also found to be significantly reduced in ALEFE treated diabetic rats as compared to untreated diabetic rats. Histological findings shows that ALEFE had a protective effect on kidney against STZ toxicity. These findings proffer preliminary biochemical and histological support to the ethno medicinal uses of the plant in the management and/or control of diabetes mellitus .
