Effect of Bridelia ferruginea (Euphorbiaceae) Leaf Extract on Sucrose-induced Glucose Intolerance in Rats

Purpose: To evaluate the hypoglycaemic effect of the methanol extract of Bridelia ferruginea leaves (MEBF) on sucrose-induced glucose intolerance in rats. Methods: Male Wistar rats, aged 6 - 7 weeks and weighing 140 - 160 g, were used. The animals were fed standard rat chow supplemented with 35%, 50% or 65% sucrose for 8 weeks while control animals were fed standard rat chow. The hypoglycaemic effect of MEBF and the reference drugs (tolbutamide, and metformin) in the animals were evaluated following a single dose of these drugs and 6-day treatment. Plasma lipid profiles were also determined. Results: Fasting glucose concentrations ranged from 45 to 70 mg/dl, and the increase was significant in the sucrose diet groups from week 1. After 2 weeks on these diets, oral glucose tolerance test showed that sucrose feeding significantly impaired glucose homeostasis 1 and 2 hours after a glucose challenge (76.7  2.0 versus 86.4  8.5 and 66.7  1.4 versus 75.5  3.0, respectively). Fasting blood sugar levels were significantly (p 0.05) reduced in sucrose-induced, glucose-intolerant rats after a single dose of MEBF. The extract also significantly reduced blood glucose (from 167 ± 23 mg/dL to 126 ± 5 mg/dL), serum total cholesterol (from 161 ± 20 mg/dL to 93 ± 10 mg/dL) and triglyceride levels (281 ± 25 mg/dL to 228 ± 5 mg/dL) in glucose intolerant rats after 6 days of treatment. Conclusion: The methanol leaf extract of Bridelia ferruginea exhibited hypoglycaemic effect in glucoseintolerant rats.