This study aimed to assess the protective potential of glimepiride and Nerium oleander extract on lipid profile, body growth rate, and renal function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The animals were divided into control and experimental groups. | Turk J Biol 31 (2007) 95-102 © TÜB‹TAK Protective Potential of Glimepiride and Nerium oleander Extract on Lipid Profile, Body Growth Rate, and Renal Function in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats 1 2 Maged M. YASSIN , Saleh N. MWAFY 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, The Islamic University of Gaza, . Box 108, Gaza Strip, PALESTINE 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University of Gaza, . Box 1277, Gaza Strip, PALESTINE Received: Abstract: This study aimed to assess the protective potential of glimepiride and Nerium oleander extract on lipid profile, body growth rate, and renal function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The animals were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group was rendered diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of 50 mg/kg body weight streptozotocin. Rats with glucose levels >200 mg/dl were subdivided into 3 sub-groups. Rats in the first sub-group remained without treatment and were considered diabetic. Those in the second and third subgroups were orally administered mg/kg body weight daily glimepiride and 250 mg/kg body weight daily Nerium oleander extract, respectively, for 4 weeks. In the streptozotocininduced diabetic rats, serum triglycerides and cholesterol were significantly increased whereas body growth rate was markedly decreased compared to the controls. In contrast to uric acid and creatinine, urea concentrations were markedly elevated. Treatment of diabetic rats with glimepiride or plant extract improved all of these parameters, indicating their antidiabetic efficacy. Key Words: Diabetes rats, lipids, growth rate, kidney, glimepiride, Nerium oleander, protection Introduction Diabetes is a major threat to global public health that is rapidly getting worse, and the biggest impact is on adults of working age in developing countries. At least 171 million people worldwide have diabetes. This figure is likely to be more than double by
