Key words: diabetes, Momordica charantia, histomorphometry, aorta, pulmonary trunk, left ventricle SUMMARY The present study investigated the effects of Momordica (M.) charantia on physical changes and on histomorphometry of the aorta, pulmonary trunk and left ventricle in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Physical changes and body weight were monitored throughout the experimental period. At the end of the experiment, stained sections were obtained for histomorphometry. Results showed a significant (p<0.05) difference in the mean body weight of the control and treated groups when compared with diabetic group. Also, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in myocardial thickness and tunics of the aorta and pulmonary trunk in diabetic animals compared to other groups and control. In conclusion, M. charantia exhibit cardiovascular protective potential possibly via its anti-atherogenic properties. INTRODUCTION Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious metabolic disorder with micro- and macrovascular complications that result in a significant morbidity and mortality. The increasing proportion of the aging population, consumption of calorie rich diet, obesity and sedentary lifestyle have led to a tremendous increase in the number of diabetics worldwide (1). Diabetes mellitus is one of the most important world health problems, especially in developing countries where the prevalence and incidence rates are highest. Diabetic patients are particularly prone to cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure and cardiac autonomic neuropathy (2). Coronary atherosclerosis and cardiomyopathy occur as a result of the metabolic abnormalities associated with diabetes (3). Momordica (M.) charantia (Linn Family: Cucurbaceae) is one of the popular herbs that grows in different regions of Nigeria. It is commonly called bitter melon, bittergourd, balsam pear. Bittergourd is known in some tribes of Nigeria as Ejirin wewe (Yoruba) Okban, Ndeme (Igbo) and Garafun (Hausa). It is a slender, climbing annual vine with long-stalked leaves and yellow, solitary male and female flowers 23 Diabetologia Croatica 42-1, 2013 1 Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun- State, Nigeria 2 Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun- State, Nigeria Original Research Article HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA, PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH MOMORDICA CHARANTIA EXTRACT O. A. Komolafe 1 , D. A. Ofusori 1 , O. S. Adewole 1 , A. A. Ayoka 2 , O. A. Ayannuga 1 Corresponding author: O. A. Komolafe, Department of Anatomy and, Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria E-mail: [email protected]
Transcript
Key words: diabetes, Momordica charantia,histomorphometry, aorta, pulmonarytrunk, left ventricle
SUMMARY
The present study investigated the effects ofMomordica (M.) charantia on physical changes and onhistomorphometry of the aorta, pulmonary trunk andleft ventricle in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistarrats. Physical changes and body weight weremonitored throughout the experimental period. At theend of the experiment, stained sections were obtainedfor histomorphometry. Results showed a significant(p<0.05) difference in the mean body weight of thecontrol and treated groups when compared withdiabetic group. Also, there was a significant increase(p<0.05) in myocardial thickness and tunics of theaorta and pulmonary trunk in diabetic animalscompared to other groups and control. In conclusion,M. charantia exhibit cardiovascular protectivepotential possibly via its anti-atherogenic properties.
INTRODUCTION
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious metabolicdisorder with micro- and macrovascular complicationsthat result in a significant morbidity and mortality. Theincreasing proportion of the aging population,consumption of calorie rich diet, obesity and sedentarylifestyle have led to a tremendous increase in thenumber of diabetics worldwide (1). Diabetes mellitusis one of the most important world health problems,especially in developing countries where theprevalence and incidence rates are highest. Diabeticpatients are particularly prone to cardiovasculardiseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis,diabetic cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure andcardiac autonomic neuropathy (2). Coronaryatherosclerosis and cardiomyopathy occur as a resultof the metabolic abnormalities associated withdiabetes (3).
Momordica (M.) charantia (Linn Family:Cucurbaceae) is one of the popular herbs that grows indifferent regions of Nigeria. It is commonly calledbitter melon, bittergourd, balsam pear. Bittergourd isknown in some tribes of Nigeria as Ejirin wewe(Yoruba) Okban, Ndeme (Igbo) and Garafun (Hausa).It is a slender, climbing annual vine with long-stalkedleaves and yellow, solitary male and female flowers
23Diabetologia Croatica 42-1, 2013
1 Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of BasicMedical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria
2 Department of Physiological Sciences, Faculty of BasicMedical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria
Original Research Article
HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,
PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF
STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS
TREATED WITH MOMORDICA CHARANTIA EXTRACT
O. A. Komolafe1, D. A. Ofusori1, O. S. Adewole1, A. A. Ayoka2, O. A. Ayannuga1
Corresponding author: O. A. Komolafe, Department of Anatomy and, CellBiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria
borne in the leaf axils. The fruit looks like a wartygourd, usually oblong and resembling a smallcucumber. The young fruit is emerald green, turning toorange-yellow when ripe. At maturity, the fruit splitsinto three irregular valves that curl backwards andrelease numerous reddish-brown or white seedsencased in scarlet arils. The Latin name Momordicameans “to bite,” referring to the jagged edges of theleaves, which appear as if they have been bitten. Allparts of the plant, including the fruit, taste very bitter(4).
Various parts of M. charantia such as the seed, fruitand even the whole plant have been reported to havebeneficial effects in the prevention and treatment ofmany diseases in folkloric medicine, especially in thetreatment of DM in individuals with non-insulindependent diabetes (5,6). It has hypoglycemicproperties as it significantly suppressed the rise inblood glucose concentrations in albino rats (5,7). Thefirst clinical study into the influence of the fresh juiceof bittergourd on the management of DM wasperformed by Akhtar in 1981. These findingssuggested the intervention would effectively treat allsymptoms of diabetes including polyuria, polydipsia,and polyphagia. Sarkar et al. (1996) and Miura et al.(2001) indicated that the fresh bittergourd juice causeda significant reduction in plasma glucoseconcentration and an improvement in the response tooral glucose load. Bitter melon contains an array ofbiologically active plant chemicals includingtriterpenes, proteins and steroids. In addition, a proteinfound in bitter melon, momordin, has clinicallydemonstrated anticancerous activity against Hodgkin’slymphoma in animals. Other proteins in the plant,alpha- and beta-momorcharin and cucurbitacin B,have been tested for possible anticancerous effects(11). In some studies, at least three different groups ofconstituents found in all parts of bitter melon haveclinically demonstrated hypoglycemic (blood sugarlowering) properties or other actions of potentialbenefit against DM (12). These chemicals that lowerblood sugar include a mixture of steroidal saponinsknown as charantins, insulin-like peptides, andalkaloids. The hypoglycemic effect is morepronounced in the fruit of bitter melon where these
chemicals are found in greater abundance. The present
study investigated the effects of M. charantia on
physical changes observed in rat models of diabetes
and on the histomorphometry of the aorta, pulmonary
trunk and left ventricle of the heart in streptozotocin
(STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats and compared the
effects with those of glimepiride, an oral blood
glucose-lowering drug of the sulfonylurea class (13).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Animal care
Forty healthy adult Wistar rats of both sexes, mean
weight 134.4 g, were used for the experiment. The rats
were bred in the animal holding of College of Health
Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. They
were maintained on standard rat pellet (Capsfeed,
Ibadan, Nigeria) and water was provided ad libitum.
The animals were randomly assigned into five groups
A, B, C, D and E of eight rats each.
- group A, control (normal rats)
- group B, experimentally induced diabetic rats
administered 10% Tween 80
- group C, experimentally induced diabetic rats
treated with methanolic extracts of Momordicacharantia dissolved in10% Tween 80 for two
weeks (withdrawal group)
- group D, experimentally induced diabetic rats
treated with methanolic extracts of Momordicacharantia dissolved in 10% Tween 80 for four
weeks
- group E, diabetic rats treated with a standard
diabetic drug (2 mg/kg of glimepiride) dissolved
in 10% Tween 80 for four weeks
Physical changes were observed throughout the
experimental period and body weight was also
monitored. The animals received humane treatment as
outlined in the Care and Management of Laboratory
Animals published by the National Institute of Health
(NIH, 1985).
24
O. A. Komolafe, D. A. Ofusori, O. S. Adewole, A. A. Ayoka, O. A. Ayannuga / HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH
MOMORDICA CHARANTIA EXTRACT
Plant material
Mature leaves of M. charantia (Cucurbitaceae) were
collected during the raining season from suburban
villages of Ile-Ife metropolis in Osun State of Nigeria.
The leaves were taken to the Herbarium at the
Department of Botany, Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife to confirm identification and a voucher
specimen (No. UHI 16510) was placed in the
Herbarium.
Preparation of methanolic extract of Momordica
charantia
Leaves of M. charantia were air dried and powdered
in a warring blender. Then, 765 g of the powdered
leaves were extracted in 1950 mL of absolute
methanol for 72 hours with intermittent shaking and
filtered. The filtrate was concentrated in vacuo at 35
ºC using a vacuum rotary evaporator (Büchi
Rotavapor R110, Switzerland). The extract was
partitioned between water and dichloromethane, the
dichloromethane fraction (5.94%) was oven-dried at
37 ºC and stored until it was ready to be used. The
aqueous portion obtained was very little. Aliquot
portions of the extract were weighed and dissolved in
10% Tween 80 for use on each day of the experiment.
Induction of diabetes
Diabetes mellitus was experimentally induced in
groups B, C, D and E by a single intraperitoneal
injection of 65 mg/kg body weight of streptozotocin
(Tocris Bioscience, UK) dissolved in 0.1M sodium
citrate buffer (pH 6.3). Diabetes was confirmed in
animals 48 hours after induction by determining
fasting blood glucose level using a digital glucometer
(Accu-chek® Advantage, Roche Diagnostic,
Germany) consisting of a digital meter and test strips
using blood samples obtained from the tail vein of the
rats. Group A animals were given equal volume of
citrate buffer used on dissolving STZ intraperitoneally.
Administration of extract and anti-diabetic drug
Methanolic extracts of the leaves of M. charantia(100 mg/kg) were dissolved in 10% Tween 80 andadministered daily (orally) by gastric intubation to therats in groups C and D for 2 and 4 weeks, respectively.The standard antidiabetic drug (glimepiride 2 mg/kg)was administered to group E rats for four weeks (15),while those in group B were left untreated.
Sacrifice of the animals
At the end of the experimental period, all animalswere physically observed and anesthetized bychloroform inhalation. A midline incision wasperformed at the thoracic region. The organs weredissected out, weighed and fixed in 10% formol salineprocessed histologically for routine hematoxylin andeosin staining.
Histomorphometry
All histomorphometric studies were carried out on anOlympus research microscope (Leica Galen III,Germany) with a linear scale-ocular micrometerinserted into the eyepiece. The ocular micrometer wascalibrated with 1-mm stage micrometer (GraticlesTonbridge, Kent, England). Histologically stainedsections were used for morphometric analysis of theaorta, pulmonary trunk and left ventricle of the controland diabetic groups to estimate the thickness of eachof the tunica intima, media, adventitia andmyocardium.
RESULTS
Physical observation
The control group appeared presumably healthy asevident in their physical agility, which wascharacterized by healthy fur and pinkish eyeballwithout any evidence of alopecia. The feeding andfluid intakes were also appreciably normal. In thediabetic group, there was alopecia on the head, neckand some other parts of the body. Other observablephysical changes included polyuria, which was
25Diabetologia Croatica 42-1, 2013
O. A. Komolafe, D. A. Ofusori, O. S. Adewole, A. A. Ayoka, O. A. Ayannuga / HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH
MOMORDICA CHARANTIA EXTRACT
characterized by wetness of the ventral and lateralbody surfaces of the animals. The animals were lessactive as compared with the controls, which suggesteda sign of ill health. Animals that were treated with M.charantia therapy and glimepiride, i.e. group D and E,respectively, presented a milder physical abnormalityas compared with the diabetic group. Withdrawal ofthe extract in group C did not cause much change inthe physical appearance when compared with thegroup that completed the extract treatment for fourweeks (Fig. 1).
Changes in body weight
Prior to the commencement of the research work(day 0), body weight of all animals in both control andexperimental groups showed no significant difference(p>0.05). By the end of day 7, after DM induction,body weight increased significantly in animals fromgroups A, D and E, and decreased significantly inanimals from groups B and C. By day 14 of theexperiment, body weight of the rats in all groupsappeared to be constant. By day 21 of the experiment,there was a significant (p<0.05) increase in bodyweight of the animals. By day 28 of the experiment(commencement of extract administration), there wasa significant increase in the mean body weight of theanimals in groups A, D and E compared to animals ingroups B and C, which showed a decrease in the meanbody weight. By the end of day 35 of the experiment,the animals in groups A, C and D significantly differedin the mean body weight when compared with themean body weight of group B rats. The animals ingroup E showed a relatively constant body weight, asshown in Table 1. By day 42 of the experiment, therewas a significant increase in body weight of the rats in
26
O. A. Komolafe, D. A. Ofusori, O. S. Adewole, A. A. Ayoka, O. A. Ayannuga / HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH
MOMORDICA CHARANTIA EXTRACT
Figure 1. One animal from each group (groups A, B, C,
D and E) is shown.
GROUP A
GROUP B
GROUP C
GROUP D
GROUP E
groups A, C, D and E, while body weight of the rats ingroup B reduced significantly. By day 49 of theexperiment, the animals in groups A, D and Emaintained a nonsignificant difference in the meanbody weight, while the mean body weight in group Band C rats decreased significantly by 1.97% and2.54%, respectively. At the end of the experimentalperiod (day 56), there was a significant (p<0.05)decrease in the mean body weight of diabetic group(121.25±6.11) as compared with control(172.50±7.79). Withdrawal of the extract from groupC rats showed a nonsignificant difference (p>0.05) inthe mean body weight when compared with diabeticgroup. The rats in groups D and E presented asignificant increase (p< 0.05) in the mean body weightwhen compared with the rats in groups A, B and C(Table 1).
Relative organ weight
There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in therelative heart weight of diabetic group (0.44±0.10)when compared with control group (0.31±0.08) and anonsignificant (p>0.05) decrease in the relativepancreas weight of diabetic group (0.29±0.08) ascompared with control group (0.34±0.09). However,there was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in therelative weights of the heart and pancreas in theanimals that received M. charantia extract therapy forfour weeks (group D) when compared with diabeticgroup (group B). The relative heart weight in group C(withdrawal group) increased significantly (p<0.05),while the relative weight of the pancreas decreasednonsignificantly (p>0.05) when compared with groupE. The rats in group E treated with antidiabetic drug(glimepiride) showed a significant decrease in therelative weights of the heart and pancreas whencompared with diabetic rats (Table 2).
Morphometry
Aorta
Tunica intima of the diabetic group increasedsignificantly (p<0.05) when compared with groups A(control), C (withdrawal group), D (treated with M.charantia for four weeks) and E (treated withglimepiride for four weeks). However, tunica media ofgroups B, C, D and E showed a significant decrease(p<0.05) when compared with control group (group
27Diabetologia Croatica 42-1, 2013
O. A. Komolafe, D. A. Ofusori, O. S. Adewole, A. A. Ayoka, O. A. Ayannuga / HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH
Table 1. The effect of Momordica charantia on body weight (g)
Values are given as mean ± SEM for body weight on days coded as 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49 and 56 in each group; a, b, c, d, ab, bc, cd, abc within column signify that the meanswith different letters differ significantly at p<0.05, while the means with the same letters do not differ significantly at p<0.05 (one-way ANOVA with Duncan multiple range test).
RWH RWP
Group A 0.31 ± 0.08ab 0.34 ± 0.09b
Group B 0.44 ± 0.10b 0.29 ± 0.08b
Group C 0.35 ± 0.13b 0.10 ± 0.07ab
Group D 0.21 ± 0.08ab 0.16 ± 0.06abc
Group E 0.12 ± 0.08ab 0.10 ± 0.06a
Table 2. The effect of Momordica charantia on the
relative organ weight (g) in streptozotocin-induced
diabetic rats
Values are given as mean ± SEM for relative weight of heart and relative weight ofpancreas coded RWH and RWP, respectively, in each group; a, b, ab, abc withincolumn signify that the means with different letters differ significantly at p<0.05, whilethe means with the same letters do not differ significantly at p<0.05 (one-way ANOVAwith Duncan multiple range test).
A). Tunica adventitia in the diabetic group showed anonsignificant decrease (p>0.05) when compared withcontrol group. There was a significant reduction ingroups C, D and E as compared with diabetic andcontrol group (Table 3).
Pulmonary trunk
The three tunics (intima, media and adventitia) of thediabetic group increased significantly (p<0.05) whencompared with groups A (control), C (withdrawalgroup), D (treated with M. charantia for four weeks)and E (treated with glimepiride for four weeks).However, the three tunics of groups A, C, D and Eshowed a nonsignificant difference (p>0.05) whencompared (Table 4).
Myocardium
The thickness of the myocardium in diabetic groupincreased significantly (p<0.05) when compared withgroups A (control), C (withdrawal group), D (treatedwith M. charantia for four weeks) and E (treated withglimepiride for four weeks). However, the thickness ofthe myocardium in groups C, D and E showed anonsignificant difference (p>0.05) when compared(Table 5).
DISCUSSION
Diabetes has been reported to be associated withprofound alterations in glucose transport function andmicroanatomy of visceral organs, leading to an
increased risk of coronary heart disease (16-19). Thereduced polyuria and alopecia noticed in the M.charantia treated group in this investigation buttressedthe nontoxic and promising effects of M. charantia,which is in correlation with other investigators (8,20).
As the extract treatment commenced, M. charantiawas observed to have significantly increased the meanbody weight of animals in group D as compared withanimals in groups B and C, which showed a decreasein their mean body weight. This observation supportsprevious studies such as that carried out by Shetty etal. (21) who report a weight gain in diabetic ratsfollowing treatment with M. charantia. Garau et al.(22) also report an improved weight after diabetic ratswere treated with M. charantia. Other investigationson the benefit of M. charantia on body weight aredocumented (23,24).
The relative weight of the heart in group D (diabeticrats treated with M. charantia for four weeks) andgroup E (diabetic rats treated with glimepiride for fourweeks) was observed not to differ significantly as
28
O. A. Komolafe, D. A. Ofusori, O. S. Adewole, A. A. Ayoka, O. A. Ayannuga / HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH
MOMORDICA CHARANTIA EXTRACT
Group
Tunica intima
(µm)
Tunica media
(µm)
Tunica
adventitia
(µm)
Group A 0.25±0.00a 2.38±0.22b 3.63±0.16b
Group B 0.53±0.11b 1.13±0.24a 3.81±0.15b
Group C 0.25±0.00a 1.63±0.13a 1.88±0.07a
Group D 0.25±0.00a 1.31±0.60a 1.75±0.14a
Group E 0.25±0.00a 1.50±0.10a 1.56±0.06a
Table 3. The effect of Momordica charantia on the
tunics of the aorta
Values are given as mean ± SEM for each morphometric parameter, i.e. tunica intima,media and adventitia in each group; a, b, within column signify that the means withdifferent letters differ significantly at p<0.05, while the means with the same letters donot differ significantly at p<0.05 (one-way ANOVA with Duncan multiple range test)
Group
Tunica intima
(µm)
Tunica media
(µm)
Tunica
adventitia
(µm)
Group A 0.25±0.00a 2.25±0.23a 2.88±0.07a
Group B 0.56±0.06b 4.38±0.41b 6.00±0.57b
Group C 0.25±0.00a 1.94±0.33a 3.88±0.66a
Group D 0.31±0.06a 2.13±0.22a 3.13±0.16a
Group E 0.25±0.00a 1.94±0.06a 3.69±0.11a
Table 4. The effect of Momordica charantia on the
tunics of pulmonary trunk
Values are given as mean ± SEM for each parameter: tunica intima, media andadventitia in each group; a, b within column signify that the means with different lettersdiffer significantly at p<0.05, while the means with the same letters do not differsignificantly at p<0.05 (one-way ANOVA with Duncan multiple range test).
Group Myocardium (µm)
Group A 176.25±12.14a
Group B 368.75±23.11c
Group C 221.87±10.67b
Group D 220.62±3.87b
Group E 230.00±6.77b
Table 5. The effect of Momordica charantia on the
thickness of the myocardium in the left ventricle
Values are given as mean ± SEM for myocardium in each group; a, b, c, within columnsignify that the means with different letters differ significantly at p<0.05, while themeans with the same letters do not differ significantly at p<0.05 (one-way ANOVA withDuncan multiple range test) (n=10).
compared with the control, whereas the relative heartweight increased significantly (p<0.05) in diabeticgroup (group B). The reason for this may be due to anincrease in cholesterol deposit, as diabetes is known tobe associated with hyperlipidemia (25). Following thewithdrawal of the extract treatment in group Canimals, the relative heart weight increased by66.67%. This may be due to systemic depletion of M.charantia, thus creating an avenue for cholesteroldeposit. The relative weight of the pancreas, whichdecreased significantly in diabetic group, may be dueto a reduction in β cell mass by STZ induction.Selective destruction of beta cells can be obtained byinjecting STZ or alloxan (26). Streptozotocin is aDNA-alkylating agent and alloxan is a generator ofoxygen free radicals, both causing extensive DNAdamage (26,27). Their selectivity is thought to be dueto better uptake by beta cells. Bouwens and Rooman(26) state that intravenous administration of 100mg/kg STZ on the day of birth in rats reduces totalbeta-cell mass by ∼90% in 48 h. Twenty days later,<40% of the normal beta-cell mass is restored (26,28).These animals can maintain normoglycemia up to acertain body weight, but at the age of ∼6 weeks theybecome glucose intolerant (26).
Morphometric findings in this study showed that thethree tunics of the aorta and pulmonary trunk weresignificantly thicker in diabetic rats when comparedwith control group. The thickness of the tunica intimamay be due to lipid build up within these vessels toform atherosclerotic plaques, which may prevent thefree flow of blood. This observation is consistent withprevious studies (29-31). These effects were abrogatedwith the administration of M. charantia extract andglimepiride for four weeks. The reason for thesignificant increase of tunica media and adventitia indiabetic group is yet to be understood. Furtherinvestigation is, however, ongoing to ascertain thecause. The thickness of the myocardium in diabetic ratmay be due to blood viscosity associated withhyperglycemia, thus leading to left ventricularhypertrophy. This finding corroborates a previousstudy (32).
This suggests that M. charantia exhibits acardiovascular protective potential, possibly via itsantiatherogenic properties.
29Diabetologia Croatica 42-1, 2013
O. A. Komolafe, D. A. Ofusori, O. S. Adewole, A. A. Ayoka, O. A. Ayannuga / HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH
MOMORDICA CHARANTIA EXTRACT
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O. A. Komolafe, D. A. Ofusori, O. S. Adewole, A. A. Ayoka, O. A. Ayannuga / HISTOMORPHOMETRIC STUDIES OF THE AORTA,PULMONARY TRUNK AND LEFT VENTRICLE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH
