Antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic activities of Cuminum cyminum L. in validated animal models

The ethanolic extract of seeds of Cuminum cyminum (C.c) was found to improve glucose tolerance to the tune of around 18.3% (P < 0.01) in normal rats and shows around 17.7% (P < 0.01) and 17.1% fall on blood glucose levels at 0-300 and 0-1440 min, respectively, on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats at an oral dose of 250 mg/Kg body weight. The extract has also been found to improve around 26.7% (P < 0.01) glucose intolerance on 14th day post treatment in high fructose fed streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The extract was also found to have antidyslipidemic activity as evident by 21.04% (P < 0.01) decline in serum triglycerides, 22.7% (P < 0.01) decline in total serum cholesterol, and 16.9% of decline in serum LDL-C, respectively, along with 12.2% (P < 0.05) increase in serum HDL-C on high fat diet fed male Syrian golden hamster. The extract was also found inhibitory to eye lens aldose reductase (EC 1.1.1.21) with IC50 value of 7.07 mu g/ml as compared to the standard AR inhibiting compound Quercetin which showed IC50 2.35 mu g/ml. The extract was also found inhibitory to alpha-glucosidase with IC50 value of 100 mu g/ml as compared to known drug Acarbose which showed IC50 of around 25 mu g/ml.