Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the anti-diabetic effects of red palm oil (RPO), rooibos tea extract (RTE) and their combination (RPO + RTE).Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single administration of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) and the rats were treated for 49 days. The effects of these plant products on plasma glucose, serum insulin, serum fructosamine, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbIAC), liver enzymes in serum and liver glycolytic enzymes were studied using standard techniques.Results: The combined treatment of RPO and RTE significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the glucose (20.98 ± 6.46 mmol/L to 15.60 ± 5.94 mmol/L), HbIAC (16.74 ± 2.73 % to 12.41 ± 2.25 %), fructosamine (98.61 ± 23.35 mmol/L to 62.52 ± 28.41 mmol/L) levels and increased insulin (0.30 ± 0.09 ng/mL to 0.72 ± 0.21 ng/mL) levels in the diabetic rats. Similarly, the combined treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the serum of diabetic rats. RPO + RTE significantly (p < 0.05) increased the activity of pyruvate kinase in the liver when compared with the diabetic control group.Conclusion: Combined treatment with red palm oil and rooibos shows promising beneficial effects in diabetic conditions of rats. Further studies on the mechanism of actions of the plant products are required.Keywords: Red palm oil, Rooibos, Glycaemic parameters, Liver function, Glycolytic enzymes, Diabetic rats
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder arising from various causes which include dysregulated glucose sensing or insulin secretion, autoimmune-mediated β-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes or insufficient compensation for peripheral insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes [1]
There was a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the insulin levels in all the diabetic rats when compared with the normal control group (Fig 2)
A significant increase in insulin level was noted for STZ + red palm oil (RPO) + rooibos tea extract (RTE) group when compared with the STZ control group
Summary
Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder arising from various causes which include dysregulated glucose sensing or insulin secretion, autoimmune-mediated β-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes or insufficient compensation for peripheral insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes [1]. Red palm oil is used as cooking oil in West and Central Africa and it is a source of energy and essential fatty acids in many regions of the world [6]. Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), a South African herbal tea, is made from the leaves and stems of the fynbos plant. Secondary metabolites present in fermented rooibos plant include single ring phenolic acids and monomeric flavonoids such as dihydrochalcones, flavanones, flavones, and flavonols [8,9,10]
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