Short term therapeutic efficacy of camel milk Vis-À-Vis buffalo milk in Alloxan® induced diabetic rabbits

This is the first comparative report that demonstrates the comparison of the anti-hyperglycemic activity of camel milk, buffalo milk and synthetic drugs in induced diabetic rabbits. Five groups (n = 8) of rabbits containing placebo (G1) and hyperglycemic groups (Alloxan® administered intravenously) including control diabetic (G2), camel milk treated @40 ml/kg (G3), buffalo milk treated @40 ml/kg (G4) and glibenclamide (Glicon®) @10 mg/kg (G5) orally for 60 days. Collection of blood was done for hematology and biochemical analysis. Renal and hepatic tissue sections were processed by routine paraffin technique for diabetes-induced histopathological changes and anti-diabetic activity of camel and buffalo milk. Diabetes deleteriously (P ≤ 0.05) affects all studied parameters. A significant (P ≤ 0.05) recovery was seen in diabetogenic hematological (RBC, MCV, Hb, MCH) and serological parameters (AST, ALT, creatinine, BUN, TPs, and TOS) with camel milk treatment. Camel milk and glibenclamide decreased blood glucose level more significantly (P < 0.01) than the buffalo milk but more significant renal recovery was seen by renal function. Microscopic observations demonstrated that camel milk and glibenclamide recovered the altered histology of the liver and kidneys towards normal. The results indicate that camel milk has a potential therapeutic effect in the treatment of hyperglycemia and plays a significant role in its management as well as reduces the risk of diabetes-related complications as compared to buffalo milk.