AMELIORATIVE EFFECTS

Hypertension and diabetes mellitus are leading global health concerns with increasing prevalence and significant morbidity. The comorbidity of these conditions exacerbates complications, necessitating novel therapeutic interventions. Simarouba glauca, a medicinal plant with reported antihypertensive and antidiabetic properties, was investigated for its potential ameliorative effects on these conditions. This study assessed the comparative effects of hydro-methanol and acetone extracts of Simarouba glauca on gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity in L- NAME/streptozotocin-induced hypertensive/diabetic male Wistar rats. Fifty-two male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups, including normotensive/non-diabetic controls, hypertensive/diabetic controls, and treatment groups receiving either hydro-methanol or acetone extracts at 50 mg/kg body weight. Hypertension and diabetes were induced using L- NAME (40 mg/kg) and streptozotocin (50 mg/kg), respectively. Plasma and liver GGT activity were measured spectrophotometrically after a 28-day treatment period. The hypertensive/diabetic control group exhibited significantly elevated liver GGT activity (14.282 ± 3.828 U/L) compared to normotensive/non-diabetic controls (4.632 ± 0.00 U/L), indicating hepatic stress. The hydro-methanol extract resulted in a two-fold increase in plasma GGT (4.632 ± 0.00 U/L), while the acetone extract caused a more modest rise (2.6055 ± 0.500
U/L). The acetone extract demonstrated a hepatoprotective effect, reducing liver GGT activity to 11.895 ± 1.799 U/L, whereas the hydro-methanol extract did not significantly ameliorate hepatic
stress.