Acute oral toxicity study of ethanol extract of Ceiba pentandra leaves as a glucose lowering agent in diabetic rats

ObjectiveTo evaluate the use of Ceiba pentandra (C. pentandra) as a glucose lowering agent and the attendant physiological changes in albino rats.MethodsAcute oral toxicity study of the extract was carried out by the administration of 10, 100, 1 000, 1 600, 2 900, and 5 000 mg/kg body weight of C. pentandra to rats in their respective groups. Twenty healthy albino rats weighing between 140 and 150 g were randomly allotted to five groups of four rats each. 100 mg/kg body weight of alloxan monohydrate was i.p. administered to rats and rats with blood glucose ≥ 200 mg/dL were considered diabetic. 5 mg/kg body weight of standard drug, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of ethanol extract of C. pentandra were orally administered to diabetic rats in their respective groups once daily for 12 days while the control groups received 0.1 mL of normal saline for the same period. The blood glucose was checked after every 4 days and the experiment was terminated on the 17th day.ResultsThe safe dose (LD50) of the extract was greater than 5 000 mg/kg body weight. The extract treated groups exhibited a remarkable reduction in blood glucose [(87.72 ± 7.67) mg/dL for 200 mg/kg body weight dose and (86.33 ± 4.54) mg/dL for 400 mg/kg body weight dose] competitively with the normoglycemic group [(88.71 ± 4.56) mg/dL]. The body weight of the extract and standard drug treated groups appreciated significantly (P < 0.05) as compared with normoglycemic group. High density lipoprotein increased significantly in the extract treated groups with the 400 mg/kg body weight having the highest value of (18.61 ± 3.44) mg/dL and a concomitant reduction in the concentrations of low density lipoprotein, triacylglycerol, and cholesterol of same group. The 400 mg/kg body weight dose of the extract also demonstrated the highest reduction in the activities of aspartate transaminase [(59.66 ± 3.45) IU/L], alanine aminotransferase [(33.33 ± 4.34) IU/L] and alkaline phosphatase [(48.36 ± 3.41) IU/L] that elevated as a result of diabetes. The two extract treated groups demonstrated a marked reduction in Cl−, and elevation in HCO3− and Na+ levels. K+, urea, creatinine, total and conjugated bilirubin that were elevated in the diabetic untreated group were all ameliorated in the treatment groups.ConclusionsEthanol extract of C. pentandra has glucose lowering effect and can ameliorate the biochemical abnormalities associated with diabetes mellitus.