Diabetes mellitus is a growing health challenge across the world affecting millions of people particularly in developing nations. There are two main forms of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). T2D is the most common of all types of diabetes and was the main focus of my research. To counter this disease, there is an urgent need to find alternative antidiabetic drugs to add to the current arsenal of drugs. The hypothesis of this research was that a potential source of new

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... ntidiabetic drugs could be found traditional remedies, used for many years in some societies, which are currently unknown and/or untested by modern science. To test my hypothesis, I used Hexane, Methanol + 1% Acetic Acid, 95/5 Water/Acetonitrile, and Ethyl Acetate to extract compounds from crushed Moringa oleifera seeds. I then tested these extracts for their ability to reduce glucose levels in C57BL/6J mice that had been fed a high fat diet to induce obesity. The results showed that the Methanol + 1% Acetic Acid had the greatest effect in reducing blood glucose levels in the mice. HPLC/MS analysis of the Methanol + 1% Acetic Acid extract yielded many unknown compounds but also indicated the presence of some compounds that are known to have an effect on glucose homeostasis based on current knowledge. Therefore, this research iii showed that Moringa oleifera, a tropical plant that has been used for its nutritional and medicinal properties, has potential as a source for novel antidiabetic drugs. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to acknowledge Dr. Joseph Martin for his direction and guidance throughout the course of my research. I also appreciate the unparalleled support of Dr. Simeon Kotchoni who was a key collaborator in this project.