Hypoglycemic and hypolipidaemic effects of some common plants extract in Type 2 diabetic patients at Eldabba area (North Sudan).

Abstract

Herbal medicines are used in North Sudan to treat diabetes due to their traditional acceptability and availability. The plants are used in crude form or as extract, individually or as a mixture. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of aqueous extracts of Aloe sinkatana, Guiera senegalensis,Trigonella foenum-graecum ,Lupinus albus, Zygophyllum coccineum, Allium cepa, Allium Sativum, Hyphaene thebaica, Balanites aegyptiaca and Acacia albida on blood glucose and lipid profile in Type 2 diabetic patients. Hundred and ten (110) Type 2 diabetics were selected randomly from patients attending to Eldaba Chinese hospital routinely. Ten patients formed the control group and the other hundred patients formed the experimental groups, each group comprising ten patients. Aqueous extract of a particular plant was given to a particular experimental group for thirty days maintaining homogeneity in other variables to allow statistical analysis. Blood samples were collected at the end of the experiment and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Fasting blood sugar level was lowered significantly by the plant extracts. The order of effectiveness was Lupinus albus 120±9 mg/dl, p<0.02), B. aegyptiaca (121±18mg/dl, p<0.02) Allium Sativum129±10 mg/dl, p<0.03),Allium cepa (130±12 mg/dl, p<0.03), Guiera senegalensis131±12 mg/dl, p<0.04), Aloe sinkatana (132±11mg/dl, p<0.05), H. thebaica 132±14 mg/dl, p<0.05) and Trigonella foenum-graecum (133±14 mg/dl, p<0.05). Although some changes were noted in blood sugar level in groups treated with Z. coccineum and Acacia albida extracts but these differences did not reach statistical significance. Lupinus albus,Allium Sativum,Allium cepa Guiera senegalensis1,Aloe sinkatana showed significant (p<0.04) reduction in triglycerides (TG), TC, and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) coupled with significance increase in HDL (p=0.03). Lupinus albus,Allium Sativum,Allium cepa Guiera senegalensis1 and A. sinkatana exhibited anti-diabetic as well as hypolipidemic effects in Type 2 diabetic patients.