Abstract

Dietary trivalent chromium as chromium picolinate supplementation is an essential nutrient for human life and been used at higher dosages to offset problems of malabsorption or to pharmacologically influence the chemistry of blood sugar control in diabetics and has been previously studied on the basis of non-randomized clinical trials. It is also recognized as one of 15 trace elements critical for proper physiological functioning of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. The present study was unique, as it has been the first ever study in which the effect of different doses of chromium supplementation (200/400 µg chromium chloride) at different time intervals on body weight, bilirubin, serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase has been investigated in normal and diabetic rabbits. Twenty four healthy Newzeland white rabbits were randomly selected, half of them were made diabetic with the help of alloxan at the dose of 300 mg/kg body weight orally for two weeks on a daily basis. Both normal and diabetic groups were divided into two treatment groups; 200 and 400 µg/L supplemental chromium was provided by chromium chloride incorporated into drinking water daily for sixty days. Blood glucose levels were checked on 0, 15, 30 and 60 days. In supplemental chromium, chloride did not affect bilirubin (P<0.05) in any rabbit type, while results revealed increased secretion of SGPT (93.00 to 134.50 i.µ) and decreased ALK-PHOS levels (133.17 to 45.1 i.µ) in normal group. In contrary, decreased secretion of SGPT (83.50 to 75.17 i.µ) and an increased ALK-PHOS level (115.83 to 167 i.µ) has been observed in diabetic group at doses of 200/400 µg chromium chloride supplementation in all rabbits, while SGOT level showed increased effect in both normal and diabetic groups. The bodyweight profile was affected in all rabbit’s type by supplemental chromium. Bodyweight increased as dietary chromium. Chloride content increased from 0 to 200 µg statistically, experimental data evaluated as significant at (P< 0.05, P< 0.01).

Key words: Chromium chloride, blood glucose level, alloxan, body weight, liver enzymes, rabbits.