Evaluation of Antidiabetic Effect of Crude Aqueous Extract of Nut, Leaf and Stem Parts of Vigna subterranae on Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by abnormally high blood glucose level. One of the plants frequently used to manage diabetes is Vigna subterrenea, also known as the Bambaranut. The aim of this study is to verify the usefulness of this plant to mitigate the effects of diabetes. Thirty (30) Wistar rats weighing 170-200 g were used for this evaluation, the rats were randomly divided into six groups namely; group A: normal control, group B: diabetic control, group C: metformin (500 mg), group D: leaf extract (1000 mg), group E: stem extract (1000 mg), and group F: nut extract (1000 mg). Alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, balsam carbohydrate, phenol, steroids, and cardiac glycosides were all identified during the phytochemical screening of aqueous extracts. Intraperitoneal injections were used to cause diabetes using streptozotocin across groups and treatment commenced after 48 hours of induction upon confirmation of diabetes mellitus. The sacrifices of animals occurred after a 28-day session of treatment. For hematological and biochemical examination, blood, liver, kidney, and pancreas were obtained. Significantly lowering of fasting blood sugar in the extract treatment groups resulted in improved biochemical markers (P≤0.05). Serum enzyme markers showed a significant drop (P≤0.05) while High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) level increased considerably when compared with diabetic control. Also, when compared to the diabetic control group, the markers of kidney function all noticeably dropped, while electrolyte levels rose. Additionally, there was a significant positive impact on hematological parameters. In accordance with the results of this investigation, V subterrenea is a potent hypoglycemia and hypolipidemic agent on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.