Hematological and Hypoglycemic Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Annona muricata Ripe Fruits Pulp on Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes in Rats: In vivo and In silico Studies

Diabetes mellitus has been a metabolic disorder characterized by interferences in the breakdown of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein as a result of insulin deficiency. Great efforts are ongoing in understanding and management of diabetes, and disease related complication. In this work, an attempt was made to study the hematological and hypoglycemic effects of Annona muricata ripe fruits pulp in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and validates its traditional claim. The forty-eight (48) Albino rat were divided into six groups which include normal, tests and controls. The diabetes–induced rats were fed orally with A. muricata ripe fruits pulp extract in concentrations of 750 mg, 1000 mg, and 2000 mg respectively. The results showed that the extract caused fasting blood sugar glucose levels to remarkably reduced to near normal. Hematological studies revealed that there were improvements in the hematological indices tested groups when compare with diabetes normal group. The molecular docking results indicate that the phytochemicals in A. muricata ripe fruit pulp have more affinity for aldose reductase followed by alpha-amylase and then alpha-glucosidase, and that montecristin, epoxymurin-A, dicaffeoylquinic acid, and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside show higher affinity to the three targets than acarbose. These results indicate that ripe fruits pulp of A. muricata possesses a strong hypoglycemic effect in STZ–induced diabetic rats, thus supporting its traditional use in the management of diabetes mellitus.