Beneficial effect of virgin coconut oil on alloxan-induced diabetes in rats

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic, the endocrine disorder resulting from a deficiency in insulin secretion and insulin action. Despite the presence of a large number of medicines for the treatment of diabetes, the complication caused by this disease remains a major medical problem. In addition, long-term oral use of antidiabetic drugs leads to their inefficiency. Therefore, search for oral herbal medicinal products for long-term blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes is very important. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to determine the beneficial effect of Cocos nucifera oil (VCO) on alloxan-induced diabetes in rats. Alloxan is one of the most important and the most frequent chemical approaches causing B pancreatic cells destruction. The experimental model involved the four groups of rats, differing from each other by the combinations of alloxan (Alx) treatment and coconut oil administration. The glycemic level, body mass gain (measured weekly), food and water intake (measured daily), were measured during the whole experiment (16 weeks). Coconut oil supplementation significantly increases body mass gain, and lowers glycaemia and food and water intake in the VCO group by comparison to controls. Alloxan treatment conspicuously increases the average fasting glycaemia in the Alx and Alx+VCO groups as compared to control groups. However, the hypoglycemic effect of coconut oil seen in the VCO animals was not observed in the diabetic animals: there is no significant difference in glycaemia between Alx and Alx+VCO groups. It could be due to the fact that glycaemia is already very high in diabetes and cannot be further influenced by the mild hypoglycemic effect of coconut oil. The beneficial effect of virgin coconut oil on some physiological parameters associated with diabetes in rats, such as intake of food and water, and an average gain in body weight has clearly been shown in this paper.