Antioxidant activities of aqueous leaf extract of Parquetina nigrescens in high-fat-diet-streptozotocin-induced diabetic male albino rats

Oxidation in living cells can be very detrimental, leading to the production of chemicals that can cause ill-health in these cells. These chemicals simply referred to as reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in causing different health problems, notably diabetes. Parquetina nigrescens is a medicinal plant that has been traditionally used in management of different kinds of ailments including diabetes over the years, but it lacks scientific proof. This study carried out the structural elucidation of aqueous leaf extract of P. nigrescens using HPLC. The study also investigated the antioxidant potentials of this extract in serum, liver, and kidney of diabetic male albino rats. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of beta sitosterol, veraquensin, kaempferol, among others. Furthermore, aqueous leaf extract of P. nigrescens significantly (P < 0.05) improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione). Aqueous leaf extract of P. nigrescens may serve as an antioxidant to ameliorate activities of ROS that might cause advert effects in living cells. The coherent bioactive compounds in the aqueous leaf extract of this plant may be responsible for these antioxidant potentials.