Antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of Ziziphus vulgaris L. onreptozocin-induced diabetic adult male Wistar rats

Herbal medicine and medical plants such as Ziziphus vulgaris L. are widely used for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes mellitus. We investigated the effects of water extracts of Ziziphus vulgaris L. fruit on serum glucose, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and activities of aminotransferase enzymes inreptozocin-induced diabetic adult male rats. Continuous supplementation of this water extract by gavage at doses of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg in 0.5 ml distilled water in diabetic rats resulted in a significant decrease of fasting blood glucose and LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels after 14 days. The levels of HDL-cholesterol and insulin, and activities of serum aminotransaminase enzymes, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were not changed significantly in the extract-supplemented group compared to the control group.