Abstract:
This study was designed to compare the effect of ethanolic extract of Alstonia boonei stem bark and Sphenocentrum jollyanum root
on high fat diet induced obesity in male wistar rats. Thirty two male wistar rats weighing 85 ± 5 g were randomly assigned into four
groups. Group 1 was fed the normal pellet diet (NPD) and groups 2 – 4 were fed high fat diet (HFD) and water ad libitum for 18
weeks. Treatment commenced on the 14th week, group 2 received no treatment while groups 3 and 4 received 500mg/kg b.w orally
of A. boonei and S. jollyanum extracts respectively for 4 weeks. Weekly body weights and BMI of all the rats were measured. At the
end of 18 weeks, creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase
(AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were determined. Also, creatinine,
urea, uric acid, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were measured. A. boonei significantly decreased
(P<0.05) body weight, BMI, urea, uric acid, ALT, AST and ALP levels, CK and LDH activities, while S. jollyanum significantly
decreased (P<0.05) the BMI, ALT, AST and ALP levels and CK activities when compared with the HFD obese control. Both A.
boonei and S. jollyanum treated groups showed significant increase (P<0.05) in catalase, SOD and GSH activity and no significant
decrease in MDA level. Thus, the ethanolic extracts of A. boonei showed more promising antiobesity potential than S. jollyanum in
rats fed high fat diet.
