EFFECT OF THE FRACTIONS OF TAMARINDUS INDICA L. (CAESALPINIACEAE) ON EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED HYPERGLYCAEMIC WISTAR RATS

Introduction: World Health Organization defines diabetes mellitus as a metabolic disorder of multiple etiologies, characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both.Objective: The stem-bark extract of Tamarindus indica L. was investigated for its hypoglycaemic action on experimentally induced hyperglycaemic Wistar rats.Methodology: A single dose of alloxan (150 mg/kg IP) and fructose (10% w/v ad libitum for 20 days). LD50 and phytochemical screening were conducted using Lorkes method 1983 and Trease and Evans 1989 respectively.Results: The oral LD50 of the extract was found to be 3,800 mg/kg. The fractions of the extract lowered the elevated blood glucose significantly with the 1000 mg/kg dose at the 8th, 16th, and 24th hours. The 500 mg/kg dose also lowered the glucose level throughout the study but only significantly at the 1st, 16th, and 24th hours. The ethyl acetate fraction also lowered the elevated blood glucose with all the doses used. The 250 mg/kg dose did not show significant decrease in the blood sugar concentration.Conclusion: The fractions of the stem-bark extract of T. indica L. significantly lowered elevated blood glucose concentration (BGL) in alloxan and fructose-induced hyperglycaemic Wistar rats.