الفهرس 
1. Introduction.Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common endocrine disorder affecting more than 200 million people worldwide. Plant materials that are being used as traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes are considered one of the good sources for a new drug or a lead to make a new drug. Medicinal plants play a significant role in the treatment of diabetes mellitus which is a serious metabolic disorder. Traditional plants are reported to have significant anti-diabetic properties with no harmful side effects. They are rich sources of anti-diabetic compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolic, minerals, saponins, terpenoids, anthraquinones, carotenoids, glycosides and tannins that improve the efficiency of pancreatic tissues by increasing the insulin secretion or decreasing the intestinal absorption of glucose.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of curry leaves (Murraya Koenigii) and walnut leaves (Juglans regia) powders and their methanolic extracts on diabetic rats.
The experiment was done in the faculty of home economics, Minufiya University, Shebin El-kom. Sixty male albino rats, weighing 150±10g were used in the study. The animals were obtained from the Medical Insects Research Institute, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. Rats were housed in individual stainless-steel cages under controlled environmental conditions, in the animal house, fed 7 days on the basal diet period to start feeding on the experimental diet for acclimatization. Food and water were checked and rats were weighed weekly. After the adaption period and induction of diabetes mellitus, the rats were divided into two main groups as follows:
The first main group (6 rats): as a negative control group (-ve), normal rats fed on the basal diet and tap water.
The second main group (54 rats): was fed on the basal diet and injected with alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight) to induce diabetes mellitus. Then the diabetic rats were divided into nine subgroups of six rats each as follows:
Subgroup (1): as a positive control group (-ve), diabetic rats fed on the basal diet and tap water.
Subgroup (2 to 5): fed on the curry and walnut leaves powder CLP, WLP by (5.0 & 7.0%, w/w) of the weight of the basal diet, respectively.
Subgroup (6 to 9): fed on the basal diet and treated with oral administration of the methanolic extracts of curry and walnut leaves CLEx., WLEx. by (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d), respectively.
At the end of the experiment (42 days), the blood samples were collected after 12 hours of fasting and serum was separated for determination of:
Serum lipid profile (total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDLc)), liver function (aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)), kidney function (urea, creatinine, uric acid), serum glucose, serum insulin, blood malondialdehyde concentration (MDA) and blood antioxidant enzymes activities (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GSH-Rd), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT)).
At the same time, the organs: kidney, liver, heart and spleen were removed, washed in saline solution, dried with filter paper, and weighted. Liver and kidney stored frozen in formalin solution 10% for histopathological examination.
Statistical Analysis
The data were statistically analyzed using a computerized costate program by one-way ANOVA. The results are presented as mean ± SD. Differences between treatments at (P≤0.05) were considered significant.
Results of the present study revealed the following:
1. There was a significant decrease in BWG, FI and FER of rats injected with alloxan of the control (+ve) group, while rats injected with alloxan then treated with tested plants had significant increases in BWG, FI and FER.
2. The diabetic rats were treated with CLEx. (400 mg/kg. bwt/d) showed the best results for BWG and FI, while the superior FER was observed for the diabetic group treated with CLEx. (200 mg/kg. bwt/d) as compared to the control (+ve).
3. There was a significant increase in liver, kidney, heart and spleen weight of the rats injected with alloxan for the control (+ve) group as compared to the control (-ve) group.
4. The hyperglycemic rats supported with WLP(7.0%, w/w) of the weight of the basal diet showed the lowest mean value of the liver weight. The best heart and spleen weights were recorded for the group treated with WLEx. (400 mg/kg. bwt/d) and the hyperglycemic rats treated with CLEx. (200 mg/kg. bwt/d) recorded the best kidney weight when compared to the control (+ve) group.
5. Hyperglycemia raised appreciably the level of serum glucose, while treatment of the diabetic rats with CLP, WLP (5.0 & 7.0%, w/w) and CLEx., WLEx. (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d) lowered considerably the serum glucose level, and the best treatment was recorded for the diabetic group treated with WLEx. (400 mg/kg/d) as compared with the control (+ve) group.
6. The obtained results demonstrated that injected rats with the alloxan caused a significant decrease in serum insulin levels for the control (+ve) group when compared with the control (-ve) group. Treatment of the hyperglycemic rats with tested plant leaves caused a significant increase in the mean values of serum insulin levels, and a superior serum insulin level was noticed for the hyperglycemic rats treated with WLEx. (400 mg/kg. bwt/d) when compared to the control (+ve) group.
7. Hyperglycemia raised appreciably and significantly the serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) levels, which were decreased when the diabetic rats treated with CLP, WLP (5.0 & 7.0%, w/w) and CLEx., WLEx. (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d). The diabetic group was treated with WLEx. (400mg/kg. bwt/d) recorded the best treatment of serum TC and TG levels when compared to the control (+ve) group.
8. Injected rats with the alloxan revealed an appreciable reduction in serum HDL.c, which was increased when the hyperglycemic rats treated with CLP, WLP (5.0 & 7.0%, w/w) and CLEx., WLEx (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d). The highest increase of HDL.c was found in serum levels of the rats administrated with walnut leaves extract (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d) when compared with the positive control group.
9. LDL.c & VLDL.c levels increased markedly in the serum of diabetic rats. Treatment of the diabetic rats with CLP, WLP (5.0 & 7.0%, w/w) and CLEx., WLEx. (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d) reversed such a change. The best serum LDL.c & VLDL.c was recorded for the diabetic group treated with WLEx. (400 mg/kg. bwt/d) when compared to the control (+ve) group.
10. Hyperglycemia was damaging to the liver functions as indicated by the rise of AST, ALT & ALP. Nevertheless, treatment with CLP, WLP (5.0 & 7.0%, w/w) and CLEx., WLEx. (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d) corrected the change of AST, ALT and ALP especially the hyperglycemic group administrated with WLEx. (400 mg/kg. bwt/d) was the best as compared to the positive control group.
11. Diabetes mellitus affected the kidney’s functions giving rise to serum creatinine, uric acid, and urea levels, while treatment of the diabetic rats with CLP, WLP (5.0 & 7.0%, w/w) and CLEx., WLEx. (200 & 400 mg/kg. bwt/d) reversed this change. The superior serum creatinine, uric