Journal of Advanced Biomedical Sciences

Background & Objective: Diabetes Mellitus is an abnormality in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism that can lead to hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. This study aimed at assessing the effect of hydro-alcoholic leaf extract of Mespilus germanica on the blood levels of glucose and lipids in diabetic male rats.

Materials & Methods: In this experimental study 48 adult male rats were randomly divided into six groups of eight. These groups are included: control group which left untreated sham group which received distilled water treated control group received only 4000mg/kg leaf extract diabetic control group receiving only streptozocine and two diabetic experimental groups of one and two which received 2000 and 4000 mg/kg extract respectively. The extract dosages were administered through gavageing method for sixteen days. Blood samples were taken from all groups and serum levels of glucose and lipids were measured by an auto analyzer. The data were analyzed by SPSS-20 software using ANOVA test.

Results: In the experimental groups of 1 and 2, concentration of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-C decreased significantly in respect to diabetic control group, whereas the serum level of HDL-C showed a significant elevation in these groups. As expected, the levels of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-C increased significantly in diabetic control group, while, the serum level of HDL-C declined in respect to control group.

Conclusion: The results show that the hydro-alcoholic leaf extract of Mespilus germanica may be effective in the treatment of diabetes. This effect can be due to the presence of flavonoieds and their antioxidant features. Keywords: Mespilus germanica, glucose, lipid, rat, diabetes.