Acute hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic and hypotriglyceridemic effects of continuous intravenous infusion of a lyophilised aqueous extract of Ajuga iva L. Schreber whole plant in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
El-Hilaly, J.; Tahraoui, A.; Israili, Z.H.; Lyoussi, Bâa.
Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 20(4): 261-268
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 1011-601X PMID: 17604246 Document Number: 605763
The hypoglycaemic and hypolipaemic effects of the lyophilized aqueous extract of the whole plant Ajuga iva (AI), collected from northern Morocco, were investigated in anaesthetized normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The AI-extract was administered to a group of rats by continuous intravenous infusion for 4 h at a dose of 4.2 micro g/min/100 g body weight; another group was infused with taurine, the reference compound, at the same dose. In normal rats, AI-extract infusion had no effect on plasma glucose or triglycerides , but plasma cholesterol levels were significantly decreased (22%; P<0.05). However, taurine infusion produced significant hypoglycaemic, hypocholesterolaemic and hypotriglyceridaemic effects (all changes, P<0.05). In STZ-diabetic rats, AI-extract infusion reduced plasma levels of glucose by 24% (P<0.05), cholesterol by 35% (P<0.01) and triglycerides by 13% (P<0.05). Infusion with taurine produced a greater reduction in plasma glucose (72%, P<0.01), cholesterol (54%; P<0.001) and triglyceride (24%; P<0.001) levels. Our results indicate that intravenously administered AI-extract exerts hypoglycaemic and hypolipaemic effects in diabetic rats by mechanism(s) which appear to be similar to that of taurine, which involve insulin sensitization or an insulin-like effect.