[ effect of cinnamon on glucose concentration of diabetic rats in presence or absence of insulin]

ABSTRACT

Some plants and their aqueous extracts are used as traditional treatments for, diabetes. Cinnamon as a preferred candidate shows anti-diabetic and hypoglycemic effects. To determine the effect of cinnamon extract on blood glucose level of diabetic -rats. The present work was an experimental study in which seventy NMRI male rats[180-250gr] were divided into 2 major groups named as normal and diabetic group. Normal group was further subdivided as control, cinnamon and insulin subgroups in which the latter two received suspensions of cinnamon 60mg/kg per day and intraperitoneal injections of insulin [5micro g/kg], respectively. In four diabetic subgroups, diabetes was induced by ip injection of streptozotocin [40mg/kg]. These groups were marked as diabetic control, diabetic/cinnamon, diabetic/insulin and cinnamon plus insulin subgroups. Our results showed that the oral administration of cinnamon had not significant effect on normal cinnamon subgroup. Insulin injection in normal rats reduced glucose concentration from99.1to 52.1mg/dl. Glucose concentration in diabetic groups with treatment of cinnamon, Insulin and both of them were measured 121.6, 69.6 and 41.4 mg/dl, respectively. Reduction of glucose concentration in these subgroups show a significant change in comparison with control diabetic subgroup, 366.5 mg/dl [p<0.001].Cinnamon can reduce blood glucose concentration in diabetic rats and it seems that the cinnamon effect to be probably linked with potentiating action of cinnamon on insulin