antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects of methanolic root extract of chromolaena odorata in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Background: chromolaena odorata (c. odorata) is a medicinal plant with hypoglycemic effect known in traditional medicine. the present study investigated the in vitro antioxidant and in vivo anti-hyperglycemic effect of the methanol root extract of c. odorata in rats. methods: phytochemical compositions were evaluated, using standard procedures while the antioxidant activities were examined, using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (dpph) free radical scavenging and ferric reducing power (frap) assays. twenty albino rats were administered 120 mg/kg of body weight (bw) alloxan and were divided into four groups of five animals each. groups a to d were treated with 2 ml/kg of normal saline, 300 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg bw extract and 5 mg/kg bw glibenclamide, respectively, through oral route for 14 days. blood samples were collected and prepared for the analysis of serum lipids profile. results: the extract contained tannins (54.76±4.08 mg/100 g), saponins (322.78±17.35 mg/100 g), glycosides, alkaloids (74.34±6.08 mg/100 g), flavonoids (79.63±4.55 mg/100 g), phenols (154.32±11.21 mg/100 g), glycosides, steroids and reducing sugar. the extract promoted the inhibition of dpph radicals with ic50 values of 191.68±1.68 μg/ml. in comparison with the untreated controls, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (ldl)-cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly reduced (p<0.05) following treatment with c. odorata extract while high density lipoprotein (hdl)-cholesterol, was significantly increased. conclusion: the c. odorata extract exhibited antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects in alloxan-induced diabetic rat, thus could be considered as a natural product in the management of dyslipidemia secondary to diabetes.