ABSTRACT
Globally, as of 2010, an estimated 285 million people had diabetes, with type 2 making up about 90% of the cases The management of diabetes without side effects is a major challenge in the medical system.Silkof Zea maysfrom a variety of maize sources has been shown to have a range of biological activities and potential health benefits such as hypoglycemia, antioxidant, hypocholesteromic and hepatoprotective activities. The current research is aimed at evaluating theHypoglycemic and Hepato-Protective Effects of Hydro-Ethanol Extract of Zeamayson Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats. Twenty Five adult Wistar rats of both sexes were used, with average weight of 150gms and they were randomly divided into five groups. The animals in groups II, III, IV and V were exposed to 160 mg/kg per body weight of the Alloxanintraperitoneally to induce diabetes mellitus; only those rats with blood glucose above 200 mg dl-1 were selected for the study. After induction of diabetes, animals of group II, III, IV and V received Zea mayssilk extract (0.6 g/kg, 0.8 g kg-1) and Glibenclamide (1mg/kg) orally for 14 days respectively, while group I served as control and were administered with normal saline. The therapeutic effects of Zea mays on blood glucose, liver function test (ALT, AST, and ALP) were assayed including the histological architecture of the pancreas and liver.The diabetic control group was characterized by a significant Increased (P ≤ 0.05)in Glucose concentration and increased in the liver function test (ALT, AST, and ALP). This present work indicates that hydro- ethanol extract ofZea mayssilkpossesses significant hypoglycaemic and hepato-protective activity in vivo by reducing liver function enzymes, initiate regeneration of beta cell in the pancreas and restore the cyto-architecture of the liver in diabetes induced adult wistar rats within the 14 days of treatment.