Effect of Pawpaw Seeds on Management of Alloxan-Induced-Diabetes in Rats

Ethanol extract of pawpaw seed was evaluated for a possible application in the management of diabetes. Alloxan was used to induce diabetes in rats,  which were subsequently used to study the antihyperglycaemic effect of the extract. Four (4) treatment groups and two (2) control groups of 8 rats each  were created using complete randomized design. Triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL),  total protein (TP), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT/AST), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT/ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea and  creatinine were studied using standard methods. A single dose of alloxan resulted in a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the serum TG, TC, LDL, AST, ALT,  ALP, with a corresponding decrease in serum HDL, urea and creatinine. Following treatment with varying doses of the extract, there was a decrease in  serum TG, TC, LDL, AST, ALT, ALP, and an increase in serum HDL, urea and creatinine. It could be inferred from the research outcome that crude extract of  pawpaw seed (200 mg/kg extract) could be effective in the management of diabetes.