Evaluation of the Effect of Diet Containing Sesame Seed (Sesamum indicum) on Some Biochemical Variables of Diabetic albino Wistar Rats

Aim: To evaluate the effect of diet containing Sesame Seed (Sesamum indicum) on some biochemical parameters in Diabetic albino Wistar Rats

Study Design: Experimental study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, between April and November, 2019.

Methodology: Forty (40) male rats weighing between 140 to 150g were used for this study. The rats were housed in animal cages in a well-ventilated experimental room and allowed to acclimatize for a period of 14 days before the commencement of the treatments. The animals were grouped into six (6) groups of 5 rats each. The group one (1) was the negative control and group two (2) positive control of induced group with streptozotocin without treatment. The remaining groups were also induced with streptozotocin and then treated with varying concentration of Sesame seed ranging from 4g to 16g daily for a period of six weeks. Rats were sacrificed by cardiac puncture, blood sample collected after six weeks of the experiment. The Samples were analysed for glucose, lipid profile, antioxidant capacity, urea, creatinine, aspartate amino transaminase (AST) and alanine amino transaminase (ALT). GraphPad prism version 5.0 was used to analyse data statistically and p values less than 0.05 (p<.05) were considered statistically significant.

Results: Result revealed a statistically significant decrease in fasting blood glucose of the various treatment groups when compared with the positive control. When positive control group was compared with treatment group 3 to 6, a statistically significant decrease was observed in their total cholesterols (p<.05), the triglyceride of group 3, 5 and 6, and statistically significant increase of high density lipoprotein of group 3, 4, 5 and 6, also a statistically significant decrease of low density lipoprotein of group 3, 4, 5 and 6. Total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione levels comparison of group 2 with group 3, 4, and 6, demonstrated a significant increase (p<.05). The liver enzymes, AST and ALT of the control group 2 compared with the treatment group showed a mild decrease (p<0.05). Similar result was also observed with renal parameters using urea and creatinine as guides.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, this study has demonstrated that sesame seed seed has anti-diabetic, anti-lipidemic and antioxidant properties and also has gradual organ protective ability when used on a long period of time on a daily basis.