 Corresponding author: Gabriel Otu Ujong Department of Human Physiology, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku Campus, Cross River State, Nigeria. Copyright © 2022 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0. Anti-inflammatory potentials of ethanolic leaf extract of Gongronema latifolium in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats Gabriel Otu Ujong 1, * , Justin Atiang Beshel 2 , Idara Asuquo Okon 3 and Daniel Udofia Owu 2 1 Department of Human Physiology, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku Campus, Cross River State, Nigeria. 2 Department of Human Physiology, University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. 3 Department of Physiology PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 2022, 11(01), 077–084 Publication history: Received on 22 June 2022; revised on 28 July 2022; accepted on 30 July 2022 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2022.11.1.0109 Abstract Introduction: Inflammation due to diabetes mellitus has been understudied. Gongronema latifolium (GL) is reported to have anti-inflammatory potentials. This work was designed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic leaf extract of Gongronema latifolium on some inflammatory markers in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods: 40 Wistar rats of both sexes (150 g-200 g) were divided into 5 groups of eight (8) rats each. Group 1; control received normal saline placebo orally. Group 2; GL only received 200 mg/kg of GL orally. Group 3 DM only received 65 mg/kg bw of STZ intraperitoneally for two days with an interval of one day in between. Group 4; DM + GL received 65 mg/kg bw of STZ + 200mg/kg bw of GL. Group 5; DM + Insulin received 65mg/kgbw of STZ followed by 10 IU/kgbw of insulin subcutaneously. For further inflammatory study, paw oedema was induced by sub-plantar injection of 2% formalin in two groups before and after administration of 200 mg/kg bw of GL daily for 7 days. Blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture for biochemical analysis. Results: Results from this study showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in blood glucose DM group, compared to the control. Intervention with GL and insulin significantly reduced the glucose level towards normal. Interleukin-6 concentration and C-reactive proteins were significantly (p<0.01) higher in DM group compared with the GL and control groups. Paw oedema size was significantly (p<0.05) increased in the formalin treated group compared with the control. Pretreatment and post treatment with GL significantly (p<0.05) reduced the paw oedema size. Conclusion: In conclusion, GL (like insulin) has hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory potentials. Keywords: Gongronema latifolium; Diabetes; C-reactive peptide; Interleukin-6; Paw oedema 1. Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a pathological and metabolic condition characterized by impaired glucose metabolism caused by inadequate insulin action or insulin resistance [1]. Clinically, it is defined as a fasting plasma glucose level >7.8 mmol/l (140 mg/dl) or a 2 hour post-prandial plasma glucose >11 mmol/l (200 mg/dl). In DM, blood glucose level is persistently raised above normal range (80-100 mg/dl). Diabetes mellitus is generally classified into two Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes with Type 2 being 10 times more common than Type 1 [2]. It is a complicated and chronic disease with complex etiologies [3] which can lead to reduced glucose tolerance, nerve damage, kidney failure, atherosclerosis, stroke, blindness and heart disease.