Salutary potential of ethanolic extract of avocado fruit on anomalous carbohydrate metabolic key enzymes in hepatic and renal tissues of hyperglycaemic albino rats

OBJECTIVE: To assess the beneficial potential of ethanolic extract of avocado fruit on abnormal carbohydrate metabolic key enzymes in hepatic and renal tissues in streptozotocin (STZ) induced hyperglycemic albino rats.

METHODS: Twenty-four male albino rats were randomly divided into four groups with six in each group by simple random sampling method. Group 1 as control rats; Group 2 as STZ induced diabetic rats; Group 3 as diabetic rats treated with avocado fruit extract (AFE), 300 mg/kg as aqueous suspension orally for 30 days; Group 4 as diabetic rats treated with gliclazide (5 mg/kg) in aqueous solution orally for 30 days. The rats were fasted overnight and sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the blood was collected for various biochemical analysis and excision of hepatic and kidney were done for histological analysis. Levels of fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin and glycosylated hemoglobin were estimated. The activities of key enzymes in carbohydrate metabolism such as hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, glucose-6- phosphatase, fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase were assayed by standard methods described in the methodology.

RESULTS: Oral administration of AFE significantly improved the altered levels of blood glucose, plasma insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, and modulated the activities of carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes (P<0.05, respectively). The glycogen content in hepatic tissues was significantly increased in diabetic rats treated with AFE (P<0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSION: AFE plays a pivotal role to maintain normoglycemia in diabetes by modulating the activities of carbohydrate metabolic enzymes.