Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of both a single dose and
daily oral administration for 15 days of the aqueous extract of the aerial part of
Chamaemelum nobile (C. nobile) at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight on blood glucose concentrations and basal insulin levels in normal
and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ). Single oral administration of C. nobile aqueous extract reduced blood glucose levels from 6.0 ± 0.3 mmol/l to 4.9 ± 0.09 mmol/l (P < 0.05) 6 h after administration in normal rats and from 21.1 ± 1.3 mmol/l to 14.5 ± 0.9 mmol/l (P < 0.001) in STZ diabetic rats. Furthermore, blood glucose levels were decreased from
6.1 ± 0.06 mmol/l to 4.6 ± 0.17 mmol/l (P < 0.01) and from 21.1 ± 1.31 mmol/l to 13.7 ± 0.90 mmol/l (P < 0.01) in normal and STZ diabetic rats, respectively, after 15 days of treatment.
Basal plasma insulin concentrations remain unchanged after treatment in both normal
and STZ diabetic rats so the mechanism of this pharmacological activity seems to be
independent of insulin secretion.
We conclude that the aqueous extract of C. nobile exhibits a significant hypoglycaemic effect in normal and STZ diabetic rats without
affecting basal plasma insulin concentrations and support, therefore, its traditional
use by the Moroccan population.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 20, 2004
Accepted:
July 13,
2004
Received in revised form:
May 26,
2004
Received:
January 5,
2004
Identification
Copyright
© 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
