Abstract

The present study has investigated the effect of oral administration of the aqueous extract of Thymelaea hirsuta (T.hirsuta) on blood glucose levels in normal, glucose-hyperglycemic and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.In normal rats, single oral administration of T. hirsuta lowered blood glucose levels significantly. It omitted significantly reduced the fasting glucose level in rats with oral glucose (2 g/kg) induced hyperglycemia. In STZ-induced diabetic rats, single oral administration of T. hirsuta also produced a significant decrease of blood glucose levels. The aqueous extract of T. hirsuta possesses both hypoglycaemic and antidiabetic effects in normoglycaemic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. This may indicate the ethnopharmacological reason  of the use of T. hirsuta in traditional medicine for treating diabetes.

Key words: Thymelae hirsute, hypoglycaemic activity, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, aqueous extract, oral administration.