Antihyperlipidemic potential of cucurbita maxima seeds in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats

Aims: Cucurbita maxima seeds extract (CMSE) possess potent antidiabetic efficacy in vivo and in vitro which has already been published by our research group. The present study deals with antihyperlipidemic potential of CMSE in diabetic rats to validate our previous findings. Methods: The study of four weeks with most effective dose of 200 mg kg-1 of CMSE was carried out to assess its antihyperlipidemic impact on serum lipid profile of streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats viz. total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLc), Urine Sugar (US), Urine Protein (UP) and Body Weight (BW). Results: The maximum fall shown by CMSE in case of TC, TG, LDLc and VLDLc levels were found to be 53.0, 56.9, 75.6 and 56.9%, respectively in case of STZ induced diabetic rats. Whereas, in case of positive control, rats treated with 2.5 mg kg-1 of glipizide showed maximum fall of 27.0, 33.8, 39.8 and 33.7% in case of TC, TG, LDLc and VLDLc levels, respectively. On the other hand, CMSE and glipizide showed maximum rise of 36.4 and 31.5%, respectively in HDLc level. Moreover, untreated diabetic rats continued to show enhanced levels of TC, TG, LDLc and VLDLc in addition to slight percentage fall in HDL cholesterol level. CMSE considerably reduced US, UP and improved BW as compared with untreated diabetic rats. Conclusion: Thus, the present study not only reveals the antihyperlipidemic potential of CMSE but also validates the hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effects of CMSE.