Abstract

Teucrium polium L. (TP) has been used for the treatment of diabetes, gastric inflammation and convulsion in traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to assess in vivo effects ofaqueous and ethanolic extracts of TP flower on activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK), insulin and serum glucose levels in normal and diabetic rats. The experimental animals were randomly distributed among 6 groups of 7 or 8 rats. The treatment groups received 150 mg/kg of alloxan. The rats were fed aqueous and ethanolic extracts of T. polium L. (TP) flower at 500 mg/kg/day doses for two weeks period. Subsequently, glucose, insulin levels, ACC and NDPK activities were measured. The present study showed significantly lower levels of glucose and elevated levels of insulin in the group of rats that was treated with ethanol and aqueous extracts of TP flowers, when compared with alloxan group (p<0.01). The results showed that the TP flower extracts increased the ACC and NDPK activities (p<0.05). The findings suggest that aqueous and ethanolic extracts of TPflower have hypoglycemic effect in alloxan diabetic rats and may be hypoglycemic activity of TP extract attributed increased activity of ACC as glucose sensor for insulin secretion.

Key words: Teucrium polium, nucleoside diphosphate kinase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, diabetes, ethanolic extract, aqueous extract.