Hypoglycemic Property of Tibatib (Epipremnum pinnatum) Leaf Extract on Alloxan-Induced Albino Rats (Sprague dawley)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Diabetes is a common disease worldwide that can cause bodily damages (MedlinePlus, 2018). Even though modern medicine has found treatments for diabetes, alternatives are still needed because of the high cost of current commercial medicines. With that said, the use of traditional plants is commonly used to treat such an illness. One plant is Tibatib (Epipremnum pinnatum), traditionally used for treating dysentery, malaria, and diabetes. This study aims to test the hypoglycemic property of Tibatib leaf extract on alloxan-induced Sprague dawley rats as an alternative source of medicine against diabetes.

METHODS

First, three kilograms of Tibatib leaves were selected extracted. Then, fifteen albino rats underwent acclimatization before the induction of diabetes with the use of Alloxan. Oral gavage was used to administer the different Tibatib leaf extracts, metformin (250 mg/kg), and normal saline solution (NSS). The blood samples were then acquired using tail-snip method and were compiled and analyzed at the lab for the glucose levels. The equipment used was disposed under the care of the laboratory staff, and all animals that were used were humanely euthanized by the in-house veterinarian. All the data gathered from each group were subjected to One-Way ANOVA statistical test. There were three trials with no replicates done in the experimentation.

RESULTS

The results show that the Tibatib leaf extract can all lower the blood glucose levels of the albino rats but in different rates and/or effectiveness. The positive control (Metformin) consistently lowered the blood glucose levels of the albino rats to normal values from week 1 up to week 3. The 250 mg/kg concentration of Tibatib leaf extract decreased the blood glucose levels but only reached the normal range on the 3rd week. The 500 mg/kg concentration reached the normal values on week 2 and 3. The 1000 mg/kg concentration generally normalized the blood glucose levels as early as the first week. This is comparable to the effect of the positive control which also consistently decreased the blood glucose levels of the rats.

DISCUSSIONS

The results imply that the Tibatib leaf extract was able to generally lower the blood glucose levels of the rats as effectively as the positive control (Metformin) although a rat had a delayed reaction to it. For further studies, it is recommended to increase the number of replicates per group and to isolate the phytochemical hypoglycemic property of the Tibatib leaves for study.