Biochemical evaluation of the effects of Nigerian polyherbal preparation on Wistar rabbits

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with multiple etiologies. Its sufferers are generally at high risk of dyslipidemia characterized by hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperlipoproteinemia and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Globally, the estimated cost of diabetes care was $376 billion in 2010, representing 12% of health expenditures for that year. Methods: The effects of the aqueous extracts of a little known Nigerian traditional polyherbalformula consisting of Emilia coccinea, Acanthus montanus, Hibiscus rosasinensis and Asystasia gangetica on serum glucose concentration, amylase activity and lipid profiles of normal, diabetic, and liver-damaged rabbits were studied using standard procedures. The mixture of the aqueous extracts of the four plants was orally administered in two doses – 120mg/kg body weight and 240mg/kg body weight for 28 days. Results: The drug elicited dose- and duration-of-administration-dependent, significant (p<0.05) reductions in serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol and LDL-cholesterol; and significant (p<0.05) increases in the HDL-cholesterol concentrations with no changes in amylase activity.Conclusion: These results confirm the hypoglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective potentials of the crude drug and thus justify its application in ethnomedicine in the management of diabetes.