ABSTRACT
Several antidiabetic medicinal plants has shown to exhibit one of more mechanisms to low blood glucose. Balanites aegyptiaca fruit extract has shown to low blood glucose via some of the mechanisms but whether the fruit extract could stimulate glycolysis, glycogenesis, and inhibit gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis are not fully clear. Hence, the need to evaluate the plant extract on the activities of enzymes in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis and glycogenesis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Ethanol extract of defatted Balanites aegyptiaca fruit-mesocarp was petition with water and ethyl acetate (1:1 v/v) then separated. Aqueous and ethyl acetate fractions obtained were separately administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats daily for 28 days period. Results of the study showed that treating diabetic rats with either aqueous or ethyl acetate fractions of ethanol extract of Balanites aegyptiaca fruit-mesocarp exert significant regulatory effect on the activities of some key hepatic enzymes of glucose metabolism. The aqueous fraction (AFF) in particular enhances glucokinase activity (from 2.22±0.02 to 3.58±0.05 U/min/mg protein) and G6PDH activity (from 1.45±0.02 to 2.10±0.02 U/min/mg protein) but suppressed glucose-6-phosphatase (from 1.44±0.05 to 0.17±0.00 U/min/µmole Pi liberated) among others. In conclusion, ethanol-aqueous fraction of Balanites aegyptiaca fruit-mesocarp exert glucose enzymes regulatory effect by enhancing glucokinase and G6PDH activity but suppressed gluconeogenic enzymes possibly to low blood glucose in diabetic rats. Further research is needed to explore the plant extract (ethanol-aqueous fraction) in order to ascertain the bioactive hidden compounds.
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