Comparison of the Effects of Cuminum Cyminuml and Sibutramine on Weight, Serum Leptin, Glucose and Lipids in Rat

Objectives: Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic diseases in the world. It affects 6.6% of world population and about 3 million individuals in Iran. Nowadays chemical and herbal medicines are widely prescribed to cure obesity. In Iran, cumin (Cuminum Cyminum L.) is a plant used in traditional medicine to cure obesity, and some of the new studies have suggested that cumin has a role in diabetes treatment and also in reducing the lipids level. In this study, we investigated the cumin oil and sibutramine effect on the prevention of weight gain and the level of serum leptin, glucose, and lipids in normal Wistar rats. Materials and methods: We divided 36 male rats of Wistar race into 3 equal groups: the control group with normal regimen, the cumin oil group with normal regimen, the sibutramine group with normal regimen. The consumed dosages of cumin oil and sibutramine were 400 µg/kg and 3mg/kg respectively which was given to the rats by gavage (tube feeding). In this study, we took samples of the hungry rats during three various periods including the first day of the study, 20th day (the beginning of the medicine usage) and 55th day (the end of the medicine usage) in order to measure their glucose and serum lipids. Results: The results of this study showed a significant decrease in glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL (P<0.001) and a significant increase in serum HDL (P=0.05). Both drugs prevented weight gain at the end of study (P=0.05). Conclusion: The findings indicate that cumin oil like sibutramine via consumption by gavage can affect the serum glucose and lipids in rats and also prevent weight gain.