In Vivo Study of Pre-treated Pumpkin Flour (Cucurbita moschata) Feeding Substitution on Hyperglycemic Male Wistar Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease caused due to high blood sugar levels. Treatment for Diabetes mellitus patients can be supported through a suitable diet and nutrition intake. One of the potential plants used in a diabetic diet is pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) which contains numerous bioactive compounds such as fiber, beta-carotene, and phenolic compounds. This study was conducted to determine the effect of substitution feeding of pre-treated pumpkin flour, i.e., blanching (90°C, 6 min) or soaking under citric acid solution (0.1%, 60 min), on blood glucose levels of hyperglycemic male Wistar rats. The pre-treatment of results showed that the feeding substitution of 25% pre-treated pumpkin flour had reduced the blood glucose level of the hyperglycemic male Wistar rats group. The highest blood glucose reduction of 23.26% or 45.22 mg/dL was found in the rats fed with the substitution of 25% pumpkin flour treated with citric acid.