Effect of Ocimum sanctum and Allium sativum on lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidant Enzymes in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats

In diabetes, persistence hyperglycaemia has been reported as a cause of increased production of free radicals. Hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress and becomes the main factor for predisposing the complications in diabetes. The study is being aimed to find out the status of lipid peroxidation by measuring the levels of peroxidation end products namely,malondialdehyde (MDA) and4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE)nitrate and nitrite as well as antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) which might be helpful in risk assessment of various complications of diabetes mellitus. Treatment of the diabetic animals with Ocimum sanctum (Holy basil/ Tulsi) and Allium sativum (garlic) extract for two weeks showed protective effects evidenced by reversal of most of the parameters studied including plasma glucose level as compared to control rats.