RESUMO
Medicago sativa L. [Alfalfa] is traditionally used to treat diabetes. This study was designed to investigate the potential antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic activity of M. sativa sprouts in streptozotocin [STZ] induced diabetes via i.p. injection of 55mg/kg of STZ. Experimental animals were divided into the following groups: GP1 [normal], GP2 [STZ-hyperlipidemic], GP3 [rouvastatin], GP4 [metformin], GP 5-9 [diabetic treated with methanolic, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol extracts]. The administration of the total methanolic extract [500 mg/kg], the petroleum ether [32.5mg] and butanol fractions [60mg] for 4 weeks significantly decreased [p<0.05] triglycerides [TG], total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoproteins [LDL] and very low density lipoproteins [VLDL] in comparison to rouvastatin. Petroleum ether fraction proved to exhibit the best activity as antihyperlipidemic agent [12.23%]. On the other hand, ethyl acetate fraction retained the best activity [vs. metformin] as antihyperglycemic agent. Histopathological evidences on liver, pancreas and spleen were in agreement with the abovementioned results. Purification, characterization, and identification of isolated compounds from the active fractions afforded 9 compounds: beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol from the petroleum ether fraction; 10-hydroxy-coumestrol, apigenin, genistein, p-hydroxybenzoic- acid, 7, 4?- dihydroxyflavone, quercetin-3-glucoside and sissotrin from the ethyl acetate fraction