Medicinal plants have been recognized to have therapeutic effects and
they may also have toxic side effects. Our previous studies have shown
that Irvingia gabonensis , Urena lobata and Carica papaya , locally
used in Nigeria to treat diabetes, possess long term hypoglycaemic and
anti-obesity effects on normal rabbits. In this study, the long term
effects of aqueous extracts of I. gabonensis bark, U. lobata root and
C. papaya leaves on the oxidative status of normal rabbits were
monitored at specific intervals in the serum for 24 weeks, and in the
tissues. Oxidative status was determined by measuring activities of
superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and the concentration of
malondialdehyde (MDA). Significant (p<0.05) decreases were observed
in some weeks in the serum MDA levels; also, liver and pancreatic MDA
levels were significantly (p<0.05) lower for all treated rabbits.
SOD and catalase activities in the serum and tissue of the rabbits
treated with the medicinal plants were generally higher or statistical
similar to control. Findings in this study showed that these
hypoglycemic medicinal plants did not exert oxidative damage; in some
instances, particularly in the pancreas, they were found to be
protective against oxidative damage