Abstract:
High sucrose consumption is often associated with impaired glucose metabolism and related diseases. Soursop (Annona muricata) is a medicinal plant with numerous bioactive components. This study sought to determine the effects of soursop leaf, bark and seed on high sucrose diet (HSD)-induced diabetic-like phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster model. Flies (both gender, 3-5 days old) were divided into 8 groups with 40 flies per vial. Group I (wild flies) were placed on normal diet while group II (HSD) was placed on dietary inclusion of 30% sucrose, groups III and IV were placed on dietary inclusions of 30% sucrose with 0.1 and 1.0 % of soursop leaf respectively, groups V and VI were placed on dietary inclusions of 30% sucrose with 0.1 and 1.0 % soursop bark, groups VII -VIII were placed on dietary inclusions 30% sucrose with 0.1 and 1.0% soursop seed respectively for 14 days. After 14 days, lethality response, negative geotaxis and aversive phototaxis assay were carried out to assess the behaviour of the flies. The flies were anesthetized on ice and homogenized for biochemical assays which include reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, total thiol content, glutathione transferase and catalase activities. Carbohydrate metabolic indices; α-amylase, α-glucosidase, insulin-like peptides, glucose and triglyceride concentrations were also determined. The results revealed the ameliorative potentials of the dietary supplementation of soursop seed, leaf and bark which was accompanied by an improved behavioural indices and reduction in the glucose, triglyceride, insulin-like peptides as well as α-amylase, α-glucosidase activities in the treated flies. Soursop seed, leaf and bark also reduced the TBARS and ROS with a concomitant increase in the activities of the antioxidant enzymes. Therefore, this study suggests that soursop could be an effective dietary supplement for the management of diabetic-like phenotype.
