Antihyperglycemic effect of turmeric aqueous root extract and morphological changes in the pancreas of alloxan-induced hyperglycemic Wistar rats

The study aims to evaluate the anti-hyperglycaemic effect of turmeric and the histological changes in the pancreas of adult Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Forty adult Wistar rats were divided into four groups of [A-D] ten rats per group. Group A was normal control, group B was diabetic control, group C was treated with 300mg/kg weight of extract and group D was 500mg/kg body weight. All animals had access to food and water ad libitum.  Aqueous extract of turmeric was administered orally, once daily for 14 days. The rats were then anaesthetized with dichloromethane before sacrifice and sample collection. Pancreatic tissues were processed, stained using the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) method. Blood glucose estimation was determined using the glucose oxidase method. Results: The mean body weights of the rats across groups were not statistically significant. Similarly, blood glucose levels across groups revealed a progressive statistically significant increase from group A to D and from day one to day 17. Pairwise comparison of group A with B, C and D showed a statistically significant increase but a comparison of Group B with C and D were not significant. Discussion: There was progressive body weight increase of the rats from day one to the final day across all groups and reduction in the blood glucose levels of the animals treated with 300mg/kg and 500mg/kg body weights, after seven days of treatment, but these, progressively increased with time even with treatment. The overall pancreas features indicate moderate inflammatory changes. Keywords: turmeric, anti- hyperglycemia, alloxan, Wistar rats