Cholesterol and triglycerides lowering activities of caraway fruits in normal and streptozotocin diabetic rats

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of single and repeated oral administration of the aqueous extract of Carum carvi L. fruits at a dose of (20 mg/kg) on lipid metabolism in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ). After a single oral administration, Carum carvi extract produced a significant decrease on triglycerides levels in normal rats (p < 0.05). In STZ diabetic rats, cholesterol levels were decreased significantly 6 h after Carum carvi treatment (p < 0.05). On the other hand, repeated oral administration of Carum carvi extract exhibited a significant hypotriglyceridemic and hypocbolesterolemic activities in both normal (p < 0.01 and < 0.001 respectively) and STZ diabetic rats (p < 0.001) 15 days after Carum carvi treatment. We conclude that the aqueous extract of Carum carvi (20 mg/kg) exhibits a potent lipid lowering activity in both normal and severe hyperglycemic rats after repeated oral administration of Carum carvi aqueous extract. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.