The role of Acacia Arabica extract as an antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and antioxidant in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of Acacia Arabica extract as a hypoglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, and antioxidant agent in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

METHODS: This is an animal experimental study conducted in King Fahd Research Center, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from December 2012 to January 2013. Thirty-six female albino rats were divided into 2 equal groups; the first served as control, and the second was the streptozotocin-induced diabetic group. Each group was subdivided into 3 subgroups, each of 6 rats; the first was left untreated, the second and the third were treated with Acacia Arabica extract orally for 21 days (100 mg/kg for the second group and 200 mg/kg for the third group). On the twenty-first day, blood samples were withdrawn through the retro-orbital plexus of overnight fasted rats under light ether anesthesia for determination of serum glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), malondialdehyde (MDA), and coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10).

RESULTS: A significant decrease in levels of serum glucose, insulin resistance, TC, TG, LDL-C, MDA and a significant increase in HDL-C and Co-Q10 was observed in the treated diabetic groups when compared to the untreated diabetic group. The changes were dose dependent.

CONCLUSION: The results found in this study indicate that Acacia Arabica extract has hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant properties, therefore, it can be investigated for its efficacy in the treatment of diabetes in humans.