Effect of Varthemia iphionoides on blood glucose level of normal rats and rats with streptozocin-induced diabetes mellitus

The use of plants for the treatment of patients with diabetes is common throughout the world, Varthemia iphionoides (Compositae) is widely distributed in Jordan, and its extract has been used in the treatment of patients with diabetes mellitus. The present study investigates the effect of an aqueous extract of V iphionoides on blood glucose levels in 12 normal rats and 12 rats with streptozocin-induced diabetes mellitus. The aqueous extract of V iphionoides reduced mean +/- SEM blood glucose levels in normoglycemic rats from 95.4 +/- 6.2 mg/dL to 75.3 +/- 7.9 mg/dL and to 63 +/- 10 mg/dL 4 and 24 hours, respectively, after administration of the extract by gastric intubation. No changes in the blood glucose concentration of normoglycemic rats were noticed 1 hour after administration. Significant decreases in the blood glucose levels of the hyperglycemic rats mere observed 1, 4, and 24 hours after administration of the plant extract (from 535.8 +/- 15.5 mg/dL to 145.7 +/- 33.4 mg/dL, 247.5 +/- 40.1 mg/dL, and 345.1 +/- 65.5 mg/dL, respectively), However, no significant dose-response relationship was observed in the hyperglycemic rats on administration of various doses of the plant extract. Study results show that an aqueous extract of V iphionoides has hyperglycemic properties that should be investigated further.