Evaluation of antidiabetic and antioxidant activity of aegle marmelos l. correa fruit extractdn the diabetic rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus is regarded as a serious chronic disease that carries a high risk for considerable complications

The use of natural plant products for management of diabetes is increasing due to their minimal side-effects and economical aspects. Aegle marmelos L. Correa [A. marmelos], family Rutaceae is highly reputed medicinal plant commonly known as bael. A. marmelos fruit is widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus

Aim of the work: This study was aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic and antioxidant activity of A. marmelos fruit ethanolic extract against alloxan-induced diabetes in male rats

Material and Methods: Twenty five male albino rats with an average body weight 180-195g were divided into two main groups; first group: control [n=5] and the second group: diabetic rats [n=20], which were divided equally to four subgroups as follows: diabetic untreated rats , diabetic rats which were treated with 125 mg/kg/day A. marmelos fruit extract; diabetic rats which were treated with 250 mg/kg/day A. marmelos fruit extract and diabetic rats treated with 500 mg/kg/day A. marmelos fruit extract. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitonial injection of alloxan [120 mg/kg]

Results: Phytochemical screening of A. marmelos fruit extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, sterols and triterpenoids. Results of the biological study reported that alloxan-induced diabetic group exhibited hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, elevation in malondialdehyde [MDA] level accompanied with weight loss and reduction in high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] level, reduced glutathione [GSH] level and superoxide dismutase [SOD] enzyme activity when compared to control group. Treatment with A. marmelos fruit extract at the three dose levels reported improvement in the biological evaluation, lipid profile, glucose, insulin, MDA and GSH levels and SOD enzyme activity when compared to the diabetic group

The improvement was most pronounced in 500 mg/kg A.marmelos treated group.Conclusion: It could be concluded that A. marmelos fruit extract had hypoglycemic activity; this effect may be attributed to its antioxidant activity and its high content of active constituents which was proved in this study. Therefore, it could be recommended that A.marmelos fruit may be useful as a healthy food and in the development of antidiabetic drugs

Hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects of Cleome Droserifolia [Samwah] in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes mellitus [DM] is a chronic disease caused by inherited or acquired deficiency in insulin secretion and by decreased responsiveness of the organs to the secreted insulin. Recently, some medicinal plants have been reported to be useful in diabetes treatment. Cleome droserifolia [Samwah] having a long history in Egyptian folk medicine for treatment of diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible antihyperglycemic property of Cleome droserifolia extract [CDE] and its antioxidant mechanism in alloxan induced diabetic rats. This study was performed on thirty male albino rats of Sprague Dawely strain with an average body weight of 100-110g. Animals were divided into three groups [ten/cage], control untreated group, diabetic group and diabetic group treated with plant extract that was given orally [28.5 mg/kg body wt. twice/ day]. Results showed marked decline in levels of serum insulin, body weight, total proteins, albumin, globulin and high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL]. These are accompanied with marked elevation in levels of fasting blood glucose, HOMA-IR, AST, ALT, GGT, urea, creatinine, uric acid, serum total lipids [TL], total cholesterol [TC], triacylglycerols [TG], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL], very low density lipoprotein cholesterol [VLDL] and ratios of TC/HDL and LDL/HDL [risk factors] in diabetic rats as compared to the corresponding controls. While the daily administration of diabetic rats with CDE showed significant amelioration in most of these parameters. It could be concluded that CDE treatment exerts a therapeutic protective nature in diabetes by decreasing oxidative stress and pancreatic beta-cells' damage which may be attributed to its antioxidative potential and antidiabetic property

Evaluation of hypoglycemic activity of opuntia dillenii haw fruit juice in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Opuntia dillenii Haw fruit is used in folk medicine as an antidiabetic agent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible curative role of O. dillenii fruit juice using the streptozotocin [STZ]-induced diabetic rats. The nutritive value of the edible portion of the fruit was also assessed. The results showed that O. dillenii fruit is a rich source of fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins B[1], B[2] and C, in addition to the minerals, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn; Ca, and Mg. Biological results showed that intraperitoneal injection with STZ caused highly significant reduction in body weight gain%, highly significant elevation in blood glucose concentration accompanied by significant reduction in liver glycogen cotent as compared with control group. Diabetic rats also revealed significant elevation in lipid peroxide [MDA] level, highly significant elevation in total cholesterol [TC], triacylglycerols [TAG], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [VLDL-C] concurrent with highly significant reduction in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] as compared with control group. Oral administration of O. dillenii juice had no effect on normal rats. Meanwhile, oral administration of O. dillenii juice to diabetic rats induced siginficant improvement in body weight gain% and lipid profile, it reduced significantly blood glucose and MDA levels as compared with non treated diabetic group. Histopathological investigation of the pancreatic tissue of STZ-diabetic rats represented the presence of necrosis, edema and congested blood vessels in the islets of Langerhans cells. O. dillenii fruit juice treatment overcome the previous changes, the majority of the cells tend to be normal.The improvement in the cells of Langerhans islets may explain the antidiabetic effect of the fruit juice under study/It also may improve the insulin receptors of beta-cells. It could be concluded that O. dillenii fruit juice had a potent hypoglycemic activity, this effect may be attributed to its antioxidant activity and its high content of chromium which was proved in this study. Therefore, it could be recommended that O. dillenii should be ingested as fresh fruit to diabetic and hypercholesterolemic patients beside the usual therapy

Bees honey abolishes the physiological disorders induced by some synthetic food colourant additives administered to young male albino rats

This work aimed to study the physiological changes in body weight, blood picture, thyroid hormones [T3 and T4] and liver functions as well as to examine the histochemical and histopathological changes in the liver of young male rats after receiving one of two colors additives mixture commonly used in local food factories in the Egyptian market [colour I, tartrazine and carmoisine and colour II, brilliant blue, sunset yellow, tartrazine and carmoisine] at a dose level of 0.3 g% in drinking water for 8 weeks. This work was also extended to study the possible protective role of a regular daily intake of bees honey [3.3 mg/kg b.wt.] against the disturbances induced by these colours additives. In conclusion, the tested synthetic food colours additives induced physiological disturbances in rats. On the other hand, the administration of bees honey plays an important protective role against the deleterious effects of the colours additives. However, even recent studies of the carcinogenic and other adverse properties of these compounds have failed to provide a basis for the confident prediction of the physiological specifications; hence, there is still a necessity of their metabolic and toxicological properties