Abstract
Some Salvia and Thymus species of Lamiaceae family come into
prominence with strong antidiabetic effects. Compared to the
other species, there are limited studies on antidiabetic activity
of Salvia triloba (ST) and Thymus praecox subsp. skorpilii var.
skorpilii (TPS). The aim of this study was to adjust the dosage
and to determine the antidiabetic effects of methanol extracts
of ST and TPS in streptozotocin/nicotinamide-induced diabetic
rats. Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was induced by a
single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ)
dissolved in 0.1 M cold citrate buffer (pH 4.5) at a dose of 55
mg/kg/body weight (b.w.) and nicotinamide (100 mg/kg/b.w.)
was given prior to STZ injection. For adjusting dosage, oral
glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was used while insulin tolerance
test (ITT), OGTT, blood glucose levels and animal weights
were used to evaluate the antidiabetic effects of ST and TPS.
According to the OGTT, the most effective doses for ST and
TPS were 200 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, respectively. At the end
of three weeks, blood glucose levels of control goup reached
to 462.50 mg/dl, whereas ST and TPS-treated groups blood
glucose levels decreased less than 200.00 mg/dl. In conclusion,
the present study suggests that both of ST and TPS methanolic
extracts may be of therapeutic benefit in diabetes and thus need
to further studies.