Striving to address the long-trending outbreak of diabetes, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) in conjunction with stakeholders developed cheap and readily available active hypoglycemic anti-diabetic agent from ‘Arachis hypogeum’- groundnut. BINTA SHAMA reports.
Diabetes, a no respecter of humanity is one of the common health challenges in the world today, that is easily diagnosed in many people whether young or old. It is a health issue that has subjected particular persons having being diagnosed with it to either watch what they eat or drink (depriving them of enjoying the free nature of foods God has blessed humanity with, especially Nigeria), or depend solely on medication prescribed by a health practitioner as the case may be..
Diabetes, a metabolic disorder
According to research work on the progress and development of the subject matter by RMRDC, study shows that Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a heterogeneous group of metabolic disorder with micro and macro vascular complications which are said to be major causes of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. It is a syndrome of impaired carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism caused by either lack of insulin secretion or decreased sensitivity of the tissue to insulin. It is further observed as a chronic debilitating disease, nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy. And also that genetic and environmental factors contribute significantly to the development of diabetes. During the development of diabetes, the cells of the body cannot metabolize sugar properly due to deficient action of insulin on target tissues resulting from insensitivity or lack of insulin.
The various types of diabetes
There are different types of diabetes, speaking of the common ones are type 1DM (T1DM) and type 2 DM (T2DM) which are both known as insulin-dependent diabetes, results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin and hyperglycemia and accounts for the vast majority of people with diabetes around the world. The universal prevalence of diabetes has nearly doubled since 1980, rising from 4.7% to 8.5% in the adult population. However, the prevalence of diabetes has also been found to steadily increase for the past 3 decades and has risen faster in low and middle income countries compared to high income countries.
WHO projects diabetes as 7th leading cause of death…
Further research shows that if not properly treated or controlled, diabetes may cause blindness, kidney failure, low limb amputation, and other long-term consequences that impact negatively on the quality of life. Due to the increasing incidence of diabetes, the World Health Organization (WHO) has projected hat diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death in 2030. The incidence and prevalence of diabetes have continued to increase globally, despite a great deal of research with the resulting burden resting more heavily on tropical developing countries. Based on demographic studies, by 2030, the number of people older than 64 years with diabetes will be greater in developing countries (>82 million) in comparison to that in developed countries (>48 million). The greatest increases are projected to occur in the Middle East crescent, sub-Saharan Africa and India.
Amongst all people with diabetes, T2DM accounts for the majority (90%) of cases, and this can be prevented as well as treated easily, while T1DM cannot be prevented with current knowledge. Nevertheless, diabetes mellitus (DM) is declared an incurable disease that must be treated for the survival of persons diagnosed with it. For the treatment of survival diabetes mellitus, some anti-diabetic drugs are available. Presently, there are several classes of hypoglycemic drugs that exert antidiabetic effects through different mechanisms namely sulfonylureas, biguanides, glucosidase inhibitors, thiazolidinediones, and non-sulfonylureas secretagogues. But these drugs may produce some side effects. Some of the drugs are effective, however, also with unavoidable side effects.
Diabetes can be controlled
Further report of the research work by the Council states that despite many decades of research in diabetes mellitus, the ailment still remains a serious cause of morbidity and mortality, causing devastating personal suffering and huge economic cost, affecting more than 425 million people worldwide. Research in the treatment of diabetes has centered on attempts to normalize fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels by aggressively controlling hyperglycemia through insulin sensitization, secretion or overcoming resistance and decrease in endogenous glucose production. Attaining near normal blood glucose level is a major aim in the treatment of diabetes. Greater understanding of the complexity and multifactorial nature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has informed the development of several new classes of glucose-lowering therapies, but several of these drugs fail to significantly alter the course of diabetic complications and have limited use because of undesirable side effects.
RMRDC initiative to substitute cure for diabetes
Diabetes, is recognised as a major challenge in Nigeria. RMRDC report states that Nigeria has the highest number of people with diabetes with an estimated 3.9 million people (or an extrapolated prevalence of 4.99%) of the adult population aged 20-79 years old. In view of this, as stated earlier, the Council engaged in series of research work and collaboration to either reduce the outbreak of the disease or gradually eradicate it from the surface of the continent beginning with Nigeria.
The Council in collaboration with the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, developed an active hypolycemic anti-diabetic agent isolated from Arachis hypogeum. The active ingredient was produced and formulated into capsule and dosage forms. Successful animal and human trials have been carried out. The design of the pilot plant has reached advance stage. Gasca D (developed by Green Leave Herbal Product in collaboration with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council) from natural plants to treat patients with diabetes mellitus. Drugs derived from herbs have been known to control the blood sugar level, provides herbal health protective, promotive and disease preventive herbal formulation useful as supplement manage the general health of people living with diabetes. Animal and human trials were said to have been successfully conducted and that NAFDAC has registered the product with the number, A7-2639L. Patenting of the invention is in progress.
Limitations
Similarly, the several limitations associated with the use of existing synthetic anti-diabetic drugs, the search for newer anti-diabetic drugs from natural source continues. One of the major areas and f focus is the use of natural products, particularly of plant origin. Ease of availability, low cost, and least side effects make plant-based preparations the main key player of all available therapies, especially in rural areas. Many plants provide a rich source of bioactive chemicals, which are free from undersirable side effects and possess powerful pharmacological actions. Plants also have always been an exemplary source of drugs with many of the currently available drugs being obtained directly from them.
RMRDC initiatives
In view of increasing incidence of diabetes in Nigeria, the Council undertook a stud to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of Arachis hypogea, which has been used in traditional medicine to manage diabetes and to develop cheap and readily available anti-diabetic drugs from groundnuts. An active amide antidiabetic agent was isolated from Arachis Hypogea following activity-guided fractionation. The extracts showed that it possesses significant hypoglycemic effects and can be used as potential antidiabetic agents. In view of this, the Council in collaboration with some mandated research Institutes have put in place, measures to promote commercial production of drug. The outcome had been patented and three investors in the pharmaceutical sector of Nigeria have indicated interest in its commercial production.
The Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) Professor Hussain Doko Ibrahim said the Council is striving to commercially produce and popularize the medicine. This he said, will assist in increasing the volume of economic and industrial production activities in the pharmaceutical sector of the nation in addition to generation of foreign exchange for the country.
