Effect of Methanolic Extract of Vernonia amygdalina Leaves on Glycemic and Lipidaemic Indexes of Wistar Rats

Aim: This study sought to investigate the effect of methanolic extract of Vernonia amygdalina leaves on glycemic and lipidaemic indexes of Wistar rats. Methods: Fresh plants of V. amygdalina were harvested from the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan. The leaves were dried and extracted using soxhlet apparatus and methanol was used as the solvent. The solvent was recovered in a rotary evaporator at 35°C with a yield of 2.24 g which represents a percentage yield of 8.96%. Ten adult male Wistar rats with body weight between 100 and 120 g were used for this study. They were randomly divided into two groups of five rats each. Animals in group 1 were administered normal saline while those in group 2 were administered V. amygdalina extract. The animals were exposed to the extract and saline solution at a dose of 3 mL per 100 g body weight 12 hourly via oral route of administration. After fourteen days of administration, the animals were fasted overnight and anaesthetized using diethyl ether. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture. Fasting blood sugar and lipid profile were determined using standard methods. Results: V. amygdalina  leaves was observed to significantly lower fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, triglyceride and VLDL-cholesterol but had no significant effect on the concentrations of HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and HDL/LDL-cholesterol ratio when compared to those of the control group at p<0.05. Conclusion: The lowering effect of V. amygdalina leaves on fasting blood sugar indicated that it has the propensity to be antidiabetic. Its effect on total cholesterol and triglyceride showed that V. amygdalina leaves could be useful in the control of obesity and hypertension.