Synthesis, Partial Characterization of Chitosan-Iron Complex and its Effects on Alloxan Induced Diabetic Mellitus in Wistar Albino Rats

This present study was undertaken to synthesize and investigate the activity of chitosan-iron complex on alloxan induced diabetic Wistar albino rats. Chitosan was extracted from crab shell and used to form complex with iron salt. Eighteen Wistar Albino rats were acclimatized and divided into three groups of six animals each weighing between 178 and 237g for bioasay: the control; the diabetic and the treated. Alloxan induction caused relative decrease in the weight of the animals in the induced group (153.64g) than control (194.21) and chitosan-iron complex treated (166.19g) groups. Results of blood glucose showed that the group treated with 50mg/kg body weight alloxan possessed higher glucose level (199mg/dL) than the control (57.67mg/dL) and chitosan-iron complex treated (55.33mg/dL) groups. The activity of chitosan-iron complex was evaluated on the plasma, liver and kidney of the rats. The results of the other studied parameters showed that chitosan-iron complex reversed the effects of the alloxan to almost control in the studied organs as the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride, total cholesterol; HDL-Cholesterol, malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase and reduced glutathione were effectively regulated. It can therefore be inferred that chitosan-iron complex can be used in  the treatment of diabetes and diabetic related complications.