Antihyperglycemic Potency of Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) Ethanolic Extracts in Diabetic Mice Induced by Multiple Low Dose Streptozotocin

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the most challenging health problems today. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by high blood glucose concentrations due to impaired insulin production, function, or both. The standard antidiabetic treatment is unable to control blood sugar and stop the oxidative stress process in diabetics. This research aims to investigate the antihyperglycemic potency of Tulsi, the sacred plants of Ayurveda, in diabetic mice induced by multiple low dose streptozotocin.Methods: We used eighteen male, healthy, white Swiss mice, aged 2-3 months, with 20-30 grams body weight to be included in this procedure, then, induced by low dose streptozotocin 40 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 5 days to make them become diabetic mice (fasting blood glucose level more than 150 mg/dL). Eighteen diabetic mice divided into three groups as follows: control group didn’t receive any treatment, two treatment groups that received Tulsi extract macerated with 70% ethanol at doses: 56 mg/kg and 112 mg/kg orally for 14 days. Paired t-test were used to analyze the difference of blood glucose level before and after treatment and One-way Anova was used to analyze the difference of blood glucose level between groups.Results: Multiple low dose streptozotocin were successfully increased blood glucose level of all mice without any death during the procedure. Administration of tulsi extract at doses of 56 mg/kg and 112 mg/kg succeeded in significantly reducing blood glucose levels in diabetic mice (P value