Hypoglycemic Activity of Different Leaf Extracts of Crateva adansonii DC in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Running title: Effect of Crateva adansonii DC in diabetic rats

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the antihyperglycemic activity of four leaf extracts of Cretiva adansonii DC (hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol), assess their effects on liver and kidney function indices, and identify bioactive compounds present in the most active extract. Exactly 50 mg/kg body weight of streptozotocin was used to induce diabetes in Wistar rat model and the antihyperglycemic activity was determined in-vivo. A single dose of 350 mg/kg body weight of the extracts which was establish to be an effective dose in pilot studies, was administered daily by intragastric tube for 28 days to four groups containing 5 rats each, and compared to a standard (metformin) for the different extracts. Fasting blood glucose was recorded at day 0 and day 28. Liver and kidney function test was determined in-vivo using commercial diagnostic kits and chemical compounds were determined using GC-MS. Among the tested extracts, the ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the most pronounced antihyperglycemic activity. Significant reductions (p < 0.05) were observed in liver enzyme markers including Aspartate Transaminase (AST) (70.33 ± 1.34 U/L), Alanine Transaminase (ALT) (60.67 ± 1.50 U/L), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) (82.56 ± 0.21 U/L), and Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) (36.33 ± 1.00 U/L). Renal biomarkers were also significantly reduced, with urea and creatinine levels decreasing to 4.40 ± 0.27 mmol/L and 98.33 ± 1.37 µmol/L, respectively. In contrast, albumin levels significantly increased to 37.00 ± 1.92 g/L compared with the diabetic control group. GC–MS analysis of the ethyl acetate extract identified 22 phytochemical compounds, among which octadecanoic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, and hexadecane have documented biological activities that may contribute to the observed antihyperglycemic and organ-protective effects. The findings of this study demonstrate that the ethyl acetate leaf extract of C. adansonii possesses significant antihyperglycemic potential and may ameliorate hepatic and renal biochemical abnormalities associated with diabetes mellitus. These results support its potential application as a source of phytotherapeutic agents for the management of hyperglycemia and related complications.