In rat, intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in a single dose of 30 mg/kg body weight produced significant hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia in addition to hyperglycaemia. On the contrary, alcoholic extract of M. charantia, A. marmelos and E. jambolana caused dose and duration dependent significant hypocholesterolaemia and hypotriglyceridaemia in STZ diabetic rats. At the end of one month, the observed total serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides levels in STZ diabetic rats with 500 mg/kg doses of alcoholic extracts of three medicinal plants were comparable to that of healthy rats as well as to that of glibenclamide (300 µg/kg dose). The result suggests that a herbal medicine prepared from these plants either alone or in combination would be more useful in the management of diabetes mellitus of those patients, whose diabetes mellitus is associated with hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia, and who developed side effects when modern drugs are used in higher doses for lifelong period.
Key words: STZ diabetic rats, Hypercholesterolaemia, Hypertriglyceridaemia, M. charantia, A. marmelos, E. jambolan, Hypocholesterolaemia, Hypotriglyceridaemia
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