Hypoglycemic Effect of a Compound Herbal Formulation (ziabeen) on Blood Glucose in Normal and Alloxan-diabetic Rabbits

Numerous indigenous medicinal plants have been found to contain important active principles that make these plants helpful to treat diseases. The present study was conducted to evaluate hypoglycemic and weight stabilizing effects of a compound herbal formulation named Ziabeen in normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits. Diabetes was induced by alloxan mono hydrate (150 mg/kg body weight, iv.). Blood glucose levels of animals were determined after oral administration of 2, 3 and 4 g/kg body weight of powdered Ziabeen tablets, unit doses of insulin, also a combination of insulin and Ziabeen, and 1 mg/kg body weight of pioglitazone (positive control) as a single dose/day both in normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits. Blood glucose levels were measured at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h intervals after administering the drugs. Highly significant (P<0.001) reduction in blood glucose was observed at all time intervals with 4 g/kg of Ziabeen. A synergistic hypoglycemic effect of oral Ziabeen with insulin injection was also observed. Oral glucose tolerance test results showed that 4 g/kg of Ziabeen significantly reduced blood glucose levels for 5 h. When Ziabeen and pioglitazone were given as repeated doses for 30 days, substantial reduction in blood glucose levels was observed in alloxan-diabetic rabbits. Virtually, treatment with powdered Ziabeen tablets for 30 days did not affect body weights in treated animals and its high doses (3 to 8 g/kg) did not show any visible signs of acute toxicity such as restlessness, respiratory distress, diarrhea, convul sions, coma or death.