Study of the Effect of Stevia With or Without Metformin on Streptozotocin - Nicotinamide Induced Diabetes in Adult Male Albino Rats

There is growing evidence that detects a pathological vicious circle relationship between complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) and oxidative stress as well as abnormal inflammatory response. This study aimed to elucidate possible effects of stevia, with or without metformin, on glycemic indices, redox state, and inflammatory state in DM induced by streptozotocin and nicotinamide in adult male albino rats. For this purpose, fifty adult male albino rats were equally divided into five groups: group 1 (control), group 2 (diabetic), group 3 (diabetic metformin-treated), group 4 (diabetic stevia-treated), and group 5 (metformin and stevia-treated). The experiment continued for four weeks. Then fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured. The results of the study showed that metformin as well as stevia either as a monotherapy or combination significantly improved glycemic profile in parallel with balancing redox status and ameliorating inflammatory response in diabetic adult male albino rats. Co-administration of stevia with metformin appeared to have a synergistic effect. It could be concluded that stevia increases metformin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. and can be used as a complementary therapy for the management of oxidative stress and inflammatory insult in DM.