Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and oxidative stress, leading to multiorgan damage including gastric mucosal degeneration. Vernonia amygdalina, a widely used medicinal plant possesses antioxidant, antidiabetic, and cytoprotective properties, studies have demonstrated its antiulcerogenic and hepatoprotective activities but limited data exist on its gastric histological effects in diabetic conditions. This study investigated the histological effects of ethanol leaf extract of Vernonia amygdalina (ELEVA) on the stomach of experimentally-induced diabetic Wistar rats.
Methodology: Sixty adult male Wistar rats of 200 ± 20 g were used for the study. The rats were randomly assigned into six groups (I-VI) of ten rats each. Group I rats were administered citrate buffer solution (1 ml/kg) and fed on standard laboratory rat feed throughout the period of the experiment. Groups II, III, IV and VI were fed on High Fat Diet (HFD) for eight weeks and Streptozotocin administered (35 mg/kg/day) intraperitoneally for 5 days. Groups III and IV received 400 and 800 mg/kg of ELEVA for three weeks respectively, while Group VI rats were given 5 IU/kg body weight of insulin intraperitoneally for three weeks. Group V rats were fed on constituted High Fat Diet for eight weeks after which ELEVA was administered 400 mg/kg orally for three weeks before diabetes induction. The rats were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia and the stomachs of the animals were completely excised, weighed and fixed for 24 hours and later grossed. Statistical analysis was carried out using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: The untreated diabetic group revealed severe mucosal erosion, glandular atrophy, and inflammatory infiltration. The extract treated groups showed restored gastric architecture, reduced mucosal erosion, and normalized glandular integrity in a dosedependent manner. The high-dose and prophylactic groups showed near-complete restoration comparable to insulin-treated rats.
Conclusion: ELEVA demonstrated antihyperglycemic, anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with high doses showing superior efficacy to insulin in restoring biochemical balance in diabetic rats.