EVALUATION OF ANTI-DIABETIC AND ANTI-HYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITIES OF ETHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF ORIGANUM MAJORANA IN STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Diabetes mellitus or sugar diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body can’t use glucose (a type of sugar) normally. It is a chronic disease associated with abnormally high levels of the glucose in the blood because of disturbances in carbohydrates, fat and proteins metabolism and it is due to one of two mechanisms that inadequate production of insulin (which is made by the pancreas and lower blood glucose), or inadequate sensitivity of cells to the action of insulin. This causes glucose levels in the blood to rise, increased urination, extreme thirst and unexplained weight loss. The prominent objective of this work was to find out the anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic activities of Origanum majorana ethanol leaf extract (100, 200, 400 mg/kg body weight) in Streptozotocin (50 mg/kg b.w) induced diabetic rats. After oral administration of such extract the blood glucose levels were recorded at specific intervals. In consequence it was observe that extract was significantly diminished blood glucose level. Simultaneously the effect of the extract on diabetes induced hyperlipidemia was studied where it markedly decreased the elevated total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) level while increased the high density lipoprotein (HDL). The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presences of tannins, glycosides, terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids. The conclusion exhibited that ethanol extract shows antidiabetic activity compared to standard drug glibenclamide (4 mg/kg). The further in-vivo study, isolation of pure phytoconstituents should be investigated to discover the antidiabetic action and other needful effects.