Anti-Diabetic Activities of the Leaf and Bark Extracts of Jatropha Curcas on Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Albino Rats

Antidiabetic activity was measured using a glucometer to check blood glucose level before induction with alloxan, after induction with alloxan and after treatment with both plant extracts. The animals were divided into seven groups, two of which were used for toxicological studies, three were used as control (negative, positive and normal) while the remaining two were used for the test groups. The extracts were found to exhibit hypoglycemic activity in the animals. The results of this study also revealed that the bark extract had more of the antidiabetic properties than the leaf extract as was observed in the change in blood glucose level of the animals in those groups. Histological studies was carried out on various organs of three of the groups among the seven groups (normal control group, group treated with leaf extract and group treated with the bark extract), it was observed that tissue necrosis was more prominent in the organs of the group treated with the leaf extract as compared to those treated with the bark extract when both were compared to the organs of the normal control group. The findings in this study provided the basis for further studies on the plant with the aim of finding out the mechanism of action of the folklore antidiabetic activity and the best extraction method of the toxic compounds without destroying other active components of the plant. Keywords: Jatropha curcas, extracts, alloxan, diabetic.