Abstract

In the present study, the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of oil from seeds of Linum usitatissimum Linn. (LO) were investigated. A streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ) rat model of hyperglycaemia was used to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant properties of oil of linseed. The body weight, oral glucose tolerance test and biochemical parameters namely; glucose level, insulin level, liver glycogen content, glycosylated hemoglobin and antioxidant parameters were estimated for all treated groups and compared against diabetic control group. LO (500 and 1000 mg/kg/day) in respective groups of diabetic animals administered for 28 days reduced the blood glucose level in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats. There was significant increase in body weight, liver glycogen content, plasma insulin level and decrease in the blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin in test groups as compared to control group. In vivo antioxidant studies on STZ-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats revealed decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased reduced glutathione (GSH). The findings demonstrate that LO have excellent antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities and thus have great potential as a source for natural health products.

Key words: Streptozotocin, Linum usitatissimum, fixed oil, malondialdehyde (MDA), diabetes.