Efficiency of Camel Milk and Honey Bee in Alleviation of Diabetes in Rats

Diabetes elicits an increase in the oxidative stress-mediated endothelial dysfunction. Fifty male rats were divided into two main groups, first group served as control group was considered as normal non-diabetic (n=10). Second group (n=40): rats were subcutaneously injected with alloxan (150 mg/kg. body weight) for induction of diabetes. Then the diabetic rats were divided into four equal subgroups as follows comprising of ten animals each: first was diabetic rats , and the second group was received camel milk -treated diabetic group that was treated with camel milk at a dose 40 ml/rat daily for four weeks. The third group was received camel milk as previous combined with honey bee treated diabetic group. The fourth is honey bee dose of 10ml honey/kg/5ml of distilled water diluted for four weeks. Results show that the camel milk either alone or combined with honey bee significantly reduced the hyperglycemia from 217.69±0.70 nmol/μl (Diabetic untreated rats) to 126.8±0.68 nmol/μl and 115.90± 0.60 respectively. While, the previous treatment significantly increased insulin hormone, insulin growth factor 1(IGF-1) and interferon gamma-γ as well as, lysozyme, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and nitric oxide (NO) as compared to the untreated rats. On the contrary, the level of IFNγ in serum was increased in alloxan administered animals, which was decreased significantly in rats had camel alone or with honey bee. In conclusion, the observations from this study show that camel milk and or honey bee has hypoglycemic effect on experimental diabetic rats. [Nature and Science 2010;8(10):333-341]. (ISSN: 1545-0740).