ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic condition defined by chronic and abnormally high blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia). Globally 537 million adults were affected in 2021 with the possibility of further increase in the future. Current treatment is reported to be inefficient in the long run and has caused undesirable side effects which affect those suffering from it. In-vitro glucose-utilization activity of alfalfa leaf extracts was done with the aim of confirming the existing circumstantial evidence of the beneficial anti-diabetic effects that are credited to the consistent drinking of alfalfa extract in the form of herbal tea. The glucose utilization activity testing of Medicago sativa L. leaf extracts was performed in L6 muroid skeletal muscle and the C3A/HEPG2 liver cells. The dry, grassy, and pale green leaves were extracted using five solvents: butanol, diethyl-ether, hexane, methanol and water. The resulting activity was compared with the activity of clinical therapeutics: insulin and metformin. The cytoxicity of the test material was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT Assay) in L6 and the C3A/HEPG2 liver cells. The results showed that the butanol and diethyl-ether extracts produced significant increase in glucose utilisation towards the L6 cells, while the diethyl-ether and water extracts revealed sizeable increase in glucose utilisation towards the C3A cells. The potency of glucose use imposed by our extracts at all tested ranges did not induce glucose utilization activity greater than the activity induced by insulin and metformin. The results demonstrated no evidence of significant cytoxicity toward differentiated L6 and C3A cells. Our experiments support the drinking of alfalfa herbal tea for the management of hyperglycaemia with caution because of the increased glucose-utilization activity induced by Medicago Sativa L. extracts. The results of this study warrant further examination of the mechanism of action of alfalfa tea on hyperglycaemia and also identification of active compounds for future development of drug or nutritional supplements towards diabetic care.
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