Antidiabetic effect of Artemisia absinthium extracts on alloxan-induced diabetic rats

The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium) ethanol extract on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Forty-eight albino rats (300 g) were used in this experiment and divided into six groups. Diabetes was induced in five rat groups by a single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (150 mg/kg body weight). After hyperglycemia was confirmed, one group was considered as diabetic control and one group was treated with glibenclamide (10 mg/kg body weight/ daily) where the remaining three groups received daily treatments with three different doses of A. absinthium extract (250, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg body weight) for 10 days each dissolved in 0.2 ml distilled water was administered intraperitoneally to each corresponding rat group. Blood serum biochemical markers such as urea, creatinine, cholesterol, and total serum protein levels were recorded after the treatment ended. Findings indicate that treatment with medium and high doses of A. absinthium extract (500 and 1,000 mg/kg/body weight) reduces blood sugar values to significant levels (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001) in rats after 7 and 10 days of treatment when compared with diabetic control alloxan-induced rats in a similar fusion as in glibenclamide treatment (P < 0.001). All elevated blood serum markers induced by the alloxan treatment were reduced to significant levels in rats treated with A. absinthium at both medium and high doses (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001) and also after glibenclamide treatment (P < 0.001). We can conclude that A. absinthium treatment exhibits a significant antihyperglycemic effect without altering the body weight and can correct some biochemical markers induced by diabetes in a similar manner to glibenclamide treatment. © 2014, Springer-Verlag London.