Hypoglycemic and hyperinsulinemic effects of ferula assafoetida on diabetic male albino rats

ABSTRACT

In the current study, thirty adult male albino rats were used to investigate the effect of Ferula assafoetida on carbohydrate metabolism in alloxan-induced diabetes. Rats were divided into three equal groups, control, diabetic non-treated and diabetic Ferula assafoetida treated groups. After thirty days of treatment five rats of each group were sacrificed and the others were left without any additional treatment for another 15 days [recovery period] then were sacrificed. Body weight, blood glucose, serum insulin and liver glycogen content levels were determined for each rat at the end of each period. It was noticed that Ferula assafoetida treatment led to a significant improve in hyperglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, decreased liver glycogen and increased percentage of body weight change caused by alloxan. And this improvement was also seen after the recovery period. Ferula assafoetida treatment led also to marked improvement in the histopathological degenerative changes in the beta cells of islets of Langerhans caused by alloxan after both the treated and recovery periods