Uro-Chukwu HC^1-3*, Ezekwe AS⁴, Okari KA⁴, Oko IC⁵, Uro-Chukwu FNC² and Uro-Chukwu FCU²

¹Department of Medical Biochemistry,Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
²Institute for Nutrition, Nutraceuticals and Public Health Research and Development, Nigeria
³Department of Community Medicine, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria
⁴Department of Medical Biochemistry, Rivers State University, Nkporlu, Port HarCourt, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author: Uro-Chukwu HC, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Alex Ekwueme Federal University of Health Sciences, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Nigeria.

Received: January 14, 2025; Published: February 28, 2025

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects significant number of people globally, with over 12% project increase in the number of affected people anticipated by 2045. The cost of diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up of diabetic cases are quite high leading to vigorous search for cheaper remedies. Easily accessible and affordable culturally acceptable plant foods such as cocoyam, soya bean and Bambara groundnuts appears to have positive effects when consumed by such patients. The aim of this study was to determine the hypoglycemic effects of various formulations of such flour blends in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (SIDR).

Methodology: Cocoyam (CY) roots, Bambara groundnut (BGN) and Soya bean (SB) seeds were sourced from a local market, processed, blended and formulated into intervention feeds for administration to seven different groups of male SIDRs, while three groups that served as controls were given anti-diabetic drug, metformin (standard control, SC) and commercial rat feed (Negative and Normal controls). The total period for the intervention was 28 days at the end of which blood specimen were collected for blood glucose levels and insulin concentrations.

Results: The data collected were analysed using SPSS and one-way ANOVA, while the mean difference was tested using Turkey`s post-hoc test. Statistical significance was put at p < 0.05 value. The mean random blood glucose (RBG) over time for each group differed significantly (F = 13.963, p < 0.001), with significantly parallel pattern of changes (F = 79.106, p < 0.01) and a significant positive trend (F = 76.755, p < 0.001). The average fasting blood glucose (FBG) showed a descending order in value over time, among the rat groups. Comparatively, the normal control had the least FGB value, while, all the intervention groups, except group F, had lower values than the negative controls, but approximate values with the SC. The blood insulin level was highest in the standard control and showed no significant different among the intervention groups and the negative control.

Discussion: The relatively low values of the Fasting blood glucose among the intervention groups might be attributed to the hypoglycemic effects of the bioactive compounds contained in the interventions formulations, and these effects were comparable to the effect of metformin, an indication of the potency of the flour blend.

Conclusion: CY-BGN-SB flour blend formulations exerted hypoglycemic effects on SIDR comparable to anti-diabetic drug, metformin. However its effects on blood insulin concentrations were not significantly different from those of the negative control.

Keywords: Hypoglycemic; Cocoyam-Bambara; Groundnut-Soya Bean; Streptozotocin; Diabetic Rats

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Citation

Citation: Chukwu HC., et al. “Hypoglycemic Effects of Various Formulations of Cocoyam-Bambara Groundnut-Soya Bean Flour Blend Fed on Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats".Acta Scientific Gastrointestinal Disorders 8.3 (2025): 05-12.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Chukwu HC., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.