Biochemical and Histological Evaluation of Three Selected Medicinal Plant Extracts of Sri Lankan Origin on Dyslipidemia and Oxidative Stress in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of refluxed aqueous extracts of Gmelina arborea, Spondias pinnata, and Coccinia grandis on atherogenicity and oxidative stress in rats with chemically induced type 1 diabetes mellitus. Alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) was used to induce diabetes to Wistar rats. Thereafter, diabetic rats (n=6 per group) were treated with the three selected plant extracts at their optimum effective therapeutic doses and glibenclamide (0.50 mg/kg, positive control) for 30 days. Administration of the three extracts in diabetic rats exhibited antihyperglycemic, antiatherogenic, and antioxidant effects in diabetic rats on the 30th day of the study. The atherogenic and coronary risk indices were also reduced in support of the antiatherogenic effects. The results of the study revealed that the bark extracts of G. arborea, S. pinnata, and leaf extract of C. grandis exerted beneficial effects against dyslipidemia, atherogenicity, and oxidative stress in alloxan induced diabetic rats. The selected plant extracts would be beneficial for the development of food supplements targeting main complications associated with diabetes.