| Abstract: | The effects of the ethanol extract of the root of Plumbago zeylanica on key enzymes of glycolysis and other biochemical parameters were studied in the rat. The results show that thigh muscle hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) by 12.07%, 51.02%, 24.32% and 25.16% respectively in rats treated with the ethanol extract of Plumbago zeylanica when compared with the controls. Serum pyruvate and lactate were significantly lowered in the experimental rats by 23.64% and 46.29%, respectively. The difference between the supernatant protein means was not statistically different (p > 0.05) suggesting the preservation of protein synthesis in the muscle of the extract‐treated rats. The reduction in the activities of the key enzymes of glycolysis and its end‐products suggests a reduction in flux across the glycolytic pathway in the extract‐treated rats. This may be a result of impaired delivery to, and utilization of, glucose by the peripheral tissue, thus substantiating the reported hyperglycaemia in the extract‐treated rats. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
