Background: Todays, the popularity of herbal medicine is increasing worldwide. Due to importance the evaluation of medicinal herbs efficacy and safety, the present study was conducted to investigate the antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effects of internal septum of walnut fruit (ISWF) ethanolic extract in diabetic rats. Materials and methods: Alloxan diabetic rats treated orally with ethanolic extract of ISWF (0-400mg/kg) for 28 days. To evaluate its anti-diabetic activity, the animals fasting blood glucose were determined on the first, 14 th and 29 th days. Moreover, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in diabetic rats at the last day of the study. After 24h of last administration, the blood samples were collected, and the Plasma lipids and liver enzymes levels were measured in fasting overnight rats. Results: The extract significantly decreased blood glucose (p<0.001) on 14 th and 29 th days. In addition, OGTT revealed that the hypoglycemic effect of the extract appeared at 90 minutes. Alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels significantly decreased in diabetic rats treated with the both doses (p<0.05). Both doses of the extract were able to decrease triglyceride significantly (p<0.05) in treated diabetic rats, while only the lower dose of the extract (200 mg/kg) attenuate the total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (p<0.001). Conclusion: These finding support the notion that ISWF is able to reduce hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia risk in diabetic rats.
Key words:Juglans regia, internal septum, walnut fruit, Antidiabetic, Lipid profile
IntroductionDiabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia due to the impaired secretion and/or action of insulin (Chikhi et al., 2014). Its prevalence is increasing in many populations all over the world. In 2011, there were 366 million cases with diabetes, and it is expected to increase up to 522 million by 2030(Whiting et al., 2011. Hyperglycemia leads to alteration in metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and fat (Wan et al., 2013). This condition results in long term pathogenic disorders such as neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy and consequently lowering in life quality (Santaguida et al., 2005). Currently, multiple pharmacological interventions including sulphonylureas, biguanides, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, thiazolidinediones and/or insulin are applied for the treatment of diabetes (Grossman et al., 2013). However, all of these medications have limited efficacy and result in various side effects such as gastrointestinal upset, weight changes, hypoglycemia, joint stiffness, kidney and skin complications (Nathan, 2007;Soccio et al., 2014).Complementary and alternative medicine has been often used for treatment of diabetes. The most widely used therapies in diabetic populations are nutritional supplements and herbal; people with diabetes use these therapies concurrently with conventional health care services (Chang et al., 2007).The fruit of Juglans regia L (family; Juglandaceae) is a valu...