Background: Anaemia is known to be associated with diabetes; moreover, with the increasing cases of diabetes there is need for the use of more
affordable alternative herbal medicines for the treatment of diabetes and anaemia. The aim of this work was to evaluate the hypoglycaemic and
haematinic properties of
Artocarpus heteropyllus
on diabetic rats.
Materials and Methods: Ethanol leaf extract of
Artocarpus heteropyllus was screened for phytochemicals and its acute toxicity was tested on
mice. Induction of diabetes was done at a dose of 150 mg/kg body weight (b.w) (with exception of the control group). The extract was
administered to rats for a period of 7 days at 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg b.w, respectively, following induction. Blood samples of rats were tested for
fasting blood sugar (FBS), packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), haemoglobin, neutrophil lymphocyte and
eosinophil counts.
Results: The ethanol leaf extract of
A. heterophyllus showed no mortality up to a dose of 5000 mg/kg b.w. Administration of the extract to
diabetic rats resulted in a decrease in the FBS of diabetic rat, and significant increases (p< 0.05) in RBC, PCV, WBC and haemoglobin levels.
Conclusion: The ethanol leaf extract of
A. heterophyllus increased the haematological indices of diabetic rats. Our findings support the use of this
plant as an herbal alternative in the treatment of diabetes and anaemia associated diabetes.
