Role of hypolipidemic doses of nicotinic acid on glucose tolerance and severity of diabetes in male rats

ABSTRACT

The present work was devoted to study the effect of varying doses of nicotinic acid on glucose tolerance, and its role in modulating the severity of STZ- diabetes in male rats. Three oral nicotinic acid doses of, 31 5, 63.5 and 126.0 mg/kg b. w. respectively, comparable to half, equal and two folds rodent equivalent of 600 mg [daily human hypolipidemnic dose], were administered to three equal sized groups of male albino rats, prior to oral glucose load of 1.0 g/kg b.w. Serial post loading glucose determinations, revealed marked increases in glucose tolerance, in parallel with the rise in nicotinic acid dosage, as verified by lower magnitudes of post-loading hyperglycaema, compaired to parallel non-medicated Controls. Moreover, the results of serum glucose 'FSG estimates in groups of STZ- diabetic rats, receiving daily repeated oral nicotinic acid medication in doses of 63.0 and 126.0 mg/kg. b.w. respectively, yielded evidence of very highly significant magnitudes of antagonistic attenuation of STZ- hyperglycaemia, coupled with marked increase in serum insulin activity, progressively accentuated with longer duration of medication