Anti-inflammatory potentials of ethanolic leaf extract of Gongronema latifolium in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats

Introduction: Inflammation due to diabetes mellitus has been understudied. Gongronema latifolium (GL) is reported to have anti-inflammatory potentials. This work was designed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic leaf extract of Gongronema latifolium on some inflammatory markers in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods: 40 Wistar rats of both sexes (150 g-200 g) were divided into 5 groups of eight (8) rats each. Group 1; control received normal saline placebo orally. Group 2; GL only received 200 mg/kg of GL orally. Group 3 DM only received 65 mg/kg bw of STZ intraperitoneally for two days with an interval of one day in between. Group 4; DM + GL received 65 mg/kg bw of STZ + 200mg/kg bw of GL. Group 5; DM + Insulin received 65mg/kgbw of STZ followed by 10 IU/kgbw of insulin subcutaneously. For further inflammatory study, paw oedema was induced by sub-plantar injection of 2% formalin in two groups before and after administration of 200 mg/kg bw of GL daily for 7 days. Blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis. Results: Results from this study showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in blood glucose DM group, compared to the control. Intervention with GL and insulin significantly reduced the glucose level towards normal. Interleukin-6 concentration and C-reactive proteins were significantly (p<0.01) higher in DM group compared with the GL and control groups. Paw oedema size was significantly (p<0.05) increased in the formalin treated group compared with the control. Pretreatment and post treatment with GL significantly (p<0.05) reduced the paw oedema size. Conclusion: In conclusion, GL (like insulin) has hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory potentials.