Zofou D, Manfo FPT, Mofor CT, Lum P, Nebangwa DN, Assob JCN. Antidiabetic and safety evaluation of Afya tea® (Aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera Lam.) in streptozotocin-rat model. Int J Ind Herbs Drugs 2017; 2(5): 1-10. Research article Bimonthly published scientific journal ISSN-2456-7345 Antidiabetic and safety evaluation of Afya tea® (Aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera Lam.) in streptozotocin-rat model Denis Zofou 1, 2, 3*, Faustin Pascal T. Manfo 2, 3 , Clautilde T. Mofor 4 , Petra Lum 1, 3 , Derrick N. Nebangwa 1, 3 , Jules- Clement N. Assob 1 1 Pharmacology Unit, Medical Research and Applied Biochemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Cameroon 2 Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Cameroon 3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, Cameroon 4 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon Abstract Objective: The present work was set to evaluate the in vivo ȶȷȷȺȴȲȴɊ Ȳȿȵ ɄȲȷȶɅɊ ɀȷ “AȷɊȲ ɅȶȲ®”, Ȳ ɅɃȲȵȶȾȲɃȼȶȵ ȲȿɅȺȵȺȲȳȶɅȺȴ ȹȶɃȳȲȽ preparation commonly sold in Cameroon. Methods: The tea was acquired from local sale points and different concentrations and doses determined from the prescription by the manufacturer. The antidiabetic activity was assessed in wistar albino rats using both the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the subacute antidiabetic assay in streptozotocin-rat model. The safety was evaluated combining the in vitro (on LLC-MK2 Monkey kidney epithelial cell line) and in vivo acute toxicity (in mouse model) tests. The effects of Afya tea® were observed on fasting blood sugar (FBS), body weight, water and food intake, urine elimination, selected markers of liver and kidney functions, as well as lipid profile. Results: The OGTT revealed a significant drop in blood glucose levels in rats treated with 84.6 g/kg Afya tea®, as compared to the control; together with drop in critical peak of blood sugar. The therapeutic effect observed was equally more consistent with the dose of 84.6 g/kg , resulting in significant recovery from STZ-induced diabetes in animals as reflected in the FBS level, body weight, food and water intake and urine elimination. Conclusion: The present work confirmed the positive effect of Afya tea® on glucose tolerance, its subacute antidiabetic potential of this herbal preparation in sptreptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, as well as its relative safety. Further studies including the study of the stability pattern and mechanism of action as well as clinical trials are warmly expected, to fully appreciate the suitability of this herbal preparation for treatment of diabetes mellitus in human. Keywords: Afya tea®, Moringa oleifera, Diabetes Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic and complex metabolic dysfunction characterized by persistent high blood sugar as a result of defective insulin secretion and/or poor use of this hormone by the system. It is one of the largest health emergencies of the 21 st century and counts among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, with an estimated global prevalence of 8.8% which is predicted to reach 10% by 2030 with a projected 642 million people affected by 2040 [1]. World Health Organization (WHO) report for 2016 highlights that diabetes is on the rise and has moved from a disease of predominantly rich nations, to become a steadily growing health issue everywhere, most markedly in Ʌȹȶ ɈɀɃȽȵ’Ʉ ȾȺȵȵȽȶ-income countries. The situation is ɈɀɃɄȶȿȶȵ Ⱥȿ ȵȶɇȶȽɀɁȺȿȸ ȴɀɆȿɅɃȺȶɄ ȳɊ “Ʌȹȶ ȽȲȴȼ ɀȷ ȶȷȷȶȴɅȺɇȶ policies to create supportive environments for healthy lifestyles coupled with limited access to quality health care, particularly for poor people [2]. In the 7 th edition of its diabetes Atlas, 2015, international diabetes federation (IDF) estimated that 1 in 11 adults had diabetes and that 1 in 2 with diabetes was not diagnosed and up to 542,000 children have type 1 diabetes [1]. Nearly 80% of people living with diabetes are found in low-and middle income countries [3, 4], though Africa has the lowest prevalence (3.4%) compared to other continents [1]. In 2010, IDF estimated the Cameroon prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 20 to 79 years at 4.4%. Prevalent undiagnosed diabetes in Cameroon is also very high, about 80% [5]. Generally, controlling blood sugar levels is crucial for diabetes management, in order to avoid or delay the upset of complications. While Type 1 diabetes is managed by insulin injections, or can be completely treated with pancreas