Ameliorative Effects of Cussonia arborea Methanol Root Bark Extract on Histomorphology of Pancreas of Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine and a metabolic disease resulting from the destruction of pancreatic beta cells; thus assessment of the pancreas in diabetic rats is important in monitoring therapy. The hereby study assessed pancreatic status of diabetic rats treated with methanol root bark extract of Cussonia arborea. A total of seventy two (72) male albino wistar rats weighting between 100-105 g were assigned into six (6) groups of twelve (12) rats per group. Groups 1-5 were diabetic infected by single intraperitoneal injection with alloxan monohydrate, at the dose of 160 mg/kg and treated with 62.5, 125, 250 mg/kg bw of the extract, 2 mg/kg bw glibenclamide and 10 ml/kg distilled water (DW) respectively, while the non diabetic rats, represented by Group 6, received 10 ml/kg DW and served as normal control rats. The treatment was applied daily through the oral route for 84 days. At the end of the experiment, the pancreas organs were acquired under light ether anaesthesia for histomorphometric assessment. The results indicated that the cells of the islet of langerhans of the diabetic untreated rats (Group 5) were severely depleted when compared to that of the normal rats (Group 6). The islet cells of the diabetic rats treated with 125 mg/kg Cussonia arborea extract (Group 2) was comparable to that of the diabetic rats treated with glibenclamide (Group 4) and the normal control rats. It was concluded that the methanol extract of C. arborea, especially at the dose of 125 mg/kg, ameliorated pancreatic lesions induced by diabetes occasioned by alloxan.