Konan Jean Noel Yao^1,, Assamoi ¹, Allah Antoine¹, Hadja Djeneba Ouattara¹, Kouadio Eric Donald N’dri¹

Faced with the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Africa, sustainable and healthier alternatives (fewer side effects), less expensive are also to be considered compared to expensive conventional medical treatments. In Côte d'Ivoire, neglected edible wild fruits and vegetables including Picralima nitida, rich in essential bioactive compounds (vitamins, minerals, fibres, etc.) are used both for food and in the traditional treatment of pathologies linked to oxidative stress including type 2 diabetes. However, their strong perishability limits their uses for a long period towards ready-to-eat, marketable products. Thus, the present study was carried out to evaluate the antidiabetic potentialities of freeze-dried powder of Picralina nitida seeds in alloxane-induced type II diabetes mellitus rat model. Experiments were carried out for 28 days with four groups of animals: the negative control (TN), the positive untreated control (TPOS), the orally daily treated with the powder solution of P. nitida (SaPn) at 200 mg/kg bw and the rats treated with glibenclamide (REF). Results showed that the SaPn significantly improved (p<0.05) glucose metabolism after one week, ensured the maintenance of body weight, allowed restoration of the globules destroyed by alloxane, healed the lesions recorded at the level of the kidneys, liver, and heart. Thus, dried powder of Picralina nitida seeds had pronounced effects in improving health in type II diabetics with no adverse effects and, could be a sustainable alternative, necessary for improved marketable formulations.

Picralima nitida powder, type 2 diabetes, antidiabetic, indigenous plant