Effect of Dissostis rotundofolia stem extract consumption on some biochemical parameters and hepato-renal organs in healthy albino rats.

Abstract

This study explored the potential health benefits of Dissotis rotundifolia, a plant widely used in traditional African medicine. It is a common plant that has been reported to have a variety of ethno-medical uses in tropical Africa. The aim of this research work was to ascertain the effect of aqueous methanolic stem extracts of Dissotis rotundifolia on plasma triglycerides, glucose, plasma sodium concentration, aspartate aminotransferase, plasma cholesterol concentration, and glutamate pyruvate transaminase and their histomorphological changes in normal adult albino rats and to evaluate changes that depict architectural variations in their kidneys and liver sinusoids. Twenty-four (24) healthy albino rats aged six to seven weeks old with an average weight of 190 g were used for this study. They were obtained locally from the animal house of the Department of Pharmacology, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The rats were randomly divided into two groups, group 1 and group 2, of 12 rats. They were kept in standard cages and fed with distilled water and growers mash (Guinea Food Nigeria) for 2 weeks to acclimate to the new environment. After acclimatization for a period of two weeks, they were fasted overnight. Group 1, which served as the normal control, received distilled water, while the test groups received an aqueous leaf and stem extract of Dissotis rotundifolia at 2 ml/kg body weight. The results obtained from the experiment for glucose and triglyceride are presented statistically. We observed that there were improvements in liver and kidney function, as evidenced by reduced levels of aspartate aminotransferase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase. These findings suggest that Dissotis rotundifolia extracts may be a useful adjunctive treatment for managing diabetic conditions.