Hypoglycemic activity of aqueous leaf extract of Persea americana Mill

Persea americana mill (lauraceae) is a tree plant also called avocado or alligator pear. It is chiefly grown in temperate regions and sparsely grown in tropical regions of the world. It is recommended for anemia, exhaustion, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, gastritis, and gastroduodenal ulcer. The leaves have been reported as an effective antitussive, antidiabetic, and relief for arthritis pain by traditional medicine practitioners of Ibibio tribe in South Nigeria. Analgesic and antiinflammatory properties of the leaves have been reported. Although there are reports of the medicinal uses of this plant, there is no report on its antidiabetic activity. Therefore, it was thought worthwhile to evaluate its antidiabetic effects in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. In November 2004, the fresh leaves of Persea americana were collected from the farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria. The plant was identified and authenticated by Dr. (Mrs) Margaret Bassey, a taxonomist in the Department of Botany, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria. The leaves were shade dried for a period of 10 days. It was pulverized in wooden mortar and 100 g of the powder was macerated in 300 mL of water in a conical flask for 72 h. The liquid filtrate was concentrated in vacuo at 40 C. The yield was 2.67%. The dried extract was formulated as suspension in distilled water using Tween 80 as suspending agent. The extract was chemically tested for the presence of different chemical constituents using standard methods. Adult albino Wistar rats (150-180 g) of either sex obtained from University of Uyo, animal house, Uyo, Nigeria were used for the study. The animals were acclimatized for a period of 10 days to room temperature (28 ± 5 C) with a relative humidity of 50%. They were housed in standard cages and maintained on standard pellets and water ad libitum. Approval for animal studies were obtained from the College of Health Sciences Animal Ethics Committee, University of Uyo. Hypoglycemic activity of aqueous leaf extract of Persea americana Mill