Abstract

Najim Abbas J. Al-awwadi

Achillea santolina, (Asteraceae) is a plant traditionally used in Iraq, Egypt and Pakistan as a tonic, vermifugal and carminative and also for stomach pain and hypertension. It contains several polyphenols, a family of compounds with a great anti-diabetic potential. The present study investigates the hypoglycemic effect produced by the acute and chronic administration of Achillea santolina leaf extract in streptozotocin (STZ)- induced diabetic rats. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were conducted in STZ-diabetic rats using orally administered glucose (5 g/kg body weight) followed or accompanied by the leaf extract (150 or 250 mg/kg body weight). Weekly plasma glucose concentrations were recorded in control STZ-diabetic rats and diabetic rats orally treated with the leaf extract. The acute administration of the aqueous extract of A. santolina resulted in significant reductions of glycemia in diabetic rats after oral administration at doses of 250 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg. Since the A. santolina extract showed a marked hypoglycemic activity, it was administered daily per os to streptozotocin diabetic rats during 28 days. After 28 days of A. santolina extract administration at a dose of 250 mg/kg/day, diabetic rats showed improvement in glycemia when compared with the diabetic control group. In conclusion our results demonstrate that A. santolina seems to present some interesting hypoglycemiant effects with a drug dose dependant response.