Evaluation of antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic effects of methanolic extract of Pentas Schimperiana leaf in mice

Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading public health problems globally and progressively increasing in Ethiopia. The current drugs for diabetics are costly, less effective, and less safe with a challenging way of administration. Pentas schimperiana is used as a traditional herbal medicine to treat Diabetic Mellitus in Ethiopia. The study aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic activity of Pentas schimperiana to solve these challenges.The three-dose levels (250mg/kg, 500mg/kg, and 1000mg/kg) of methanolic leaf extracts of Pentas schimperiana were administered into three groups of mice. The first group was control mice with normal glucose level, the second group was glucose infused mice and the third group was alloxan-induced diabetic mice. The glucose level, the lipid level, the body weight, and the physical diagnosis were determined before and after the experimental treatment. Data were analyzed using mixed-design ANOVA. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered indicative of a statistically significant difference. At the 14 days of treatment, all the three doses of methanolic leaf extract of Pentas schimperiana significantly reduced blood glucose level (PS 250 mg/kg, P < 0.01; PS 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg, P < 0.001) in diabetic mice compared to the normal mice. Besides, the 14 days of treatment of the diabetic mice by plant extract showed that weight loss and the dyslipidemic profiles were corrected significantly. The study concluded that the methanolic leaf extract of Pentas schimperiana can be a potential treatment for Diabetes Mellitus for resource-limited settings and follow-up studies are recommended.