Abstract:
The present study investigated the antidiabetic activity and the possible mechanisms of action of
aqueous extract of Aloe arborescens leaf gel (AALGEt) on normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats.
Diabetes was induced in 12 h fasted rats by intraperitoneal injection of 140 mg/kg body weight of
alloxan. Blood glucose levels, body weight and water intake were determined on day 7, 14 and 21 of
AALGEt treatment. Plasma insulin and triglycerides levels, as well as activities of hepatic glucokinase
and glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase) were determined at the end of the study. Blood glucose levels,
plasma triglyceride and insulin levels, as well as the activity of hepatic G6Pase were significantly
increased in diabetic rats. With the exception of hepatic glucokinase activity, daily oral administration
of AALGEt to diabetic rats significantly reversed the effects induced by alloxan. The activities of
glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase as well as plasma insulin levels in AALGEt-treated normal rats
were comparable with those observed in untreated normal rats. The results suggest that AALGEt
ameliorates physiological parameters altered by the diabetic state. These effects may be mediated in
part, through the protection of pancreatic beta cells from further damage by alloxan.
