This study was conducted to find out the effect of coconut fruits and their milk on biological and biochemical changes of hypercholesterolemic rats. Therefore, Thirty-six male albino rats, weighing 140-150g, were used. They were divided into two main groups. The first main group (6 rats) was used as a negative control group,which were fed the basal diet. The second main group (30 rats) was fed a basal diet supplemented with powdered cholesterol and a ahigh-fat diet (10% animal lipid) to induce hypercholesterolemia and were divided into five equal subgroups. One group was placed as a positive control group who were continuously fed the basic diet. The rest four groups were fed the basic diet with coconut fruits at a concentration of 2.5 and 5% and coconut milk at levels of 250 and 500 ml per kg of feed for 28 days. The data obtained indicated that both coconut powder and coconut milk resulted in a significant decrease (P≤0.05) in serum TC, TG, LDL and VLDL with increased HDL. Both coconut powder and coconut milk also improve liver and kidney function. These data confirmed the hypothesis that both coconut powder and coconut milk contain several bioactive compounds capable of mitigating the harmful effects of high cholesterol and inhibiting high blood cholesterol in rats. Therefore, we recommend using such fruits in moderate quantities in our daily diets to benefit from its health benefits.

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The present study aimed to investigate the potential effect of different concentrations, 2.5 and 5 % ,of olive and mango leaves powder (OLP & MLP) as well as their mixture on Alloxan-induced diabetes complications in rats. Forty-eight male albino rats, weighing 150±10 g, were used and divided into two main groups. The first group, 6 rats, was kept as a negative (-ve) control group fed on the basal diet, while the second one, 42 rats, was injected by alloxan to induce diabetes and divided into seven equal subgroups. The second group was still fed on the basal diet and kept as positive (+ve) control group and the rest six groups were fed on the basal diet containing 2.5 and 5% of olive and mango leaves powder as well as their mixture. Animals treatment with alloxan caused a significant increase (p≤0.05) in serum glucose concentration by the ratio of 156.22% compared to normal controls. Supplementation of the rats' diet with 2.5. and 5% of the selected plant parts including OLP, MLP and their mixture (Mix) leads to decrease this value by the rate of -20.68, -30.13, -37.68, -42.18, -47.21 and -56.30%, respectively. The same action was recorded for liver (ALT, AST and ALP) and kidney (urea, uric acid and creatinine) in diabetic rats have been induced by different rates as a result the supplementation with the studied plant parts. All of these effects could be principally attributed to the strong antioxidant activities of these plant parts as the result of their high bioactive compounds content. These findings provide a basis for the use of OLP and MLP to attenuate the complications caused by type-2 diabetes.

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