title: Effects of aqueous extract of turnip leaf (Brassica rapa) in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Turnip leaf has been used in folk medicine of Iran for the treatment of diabetes. However,so far no scientific study has been done to support its use in traditional medicine. The present study was carried out to evaluate the possible hypoglycemic efficacy of aqueous extract of turnip leaf (AETL) in diabetic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Alloxan-induced diabetic rats were orally treated with AETL at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day for 28 days. In order to evaluate the anti-diabetic activity, fasting blood glucose concentrations were determined on the 1(st), 14(th) and 29(th) days. Moreover,at the end of the study, plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), aspartate amino transfarase (AST), and alanine amino transferase (ALT) were measured by the use of standard kits and auto-analyzer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both doses of AETL significantly decreased (p<0.001) blood glucose and ALT levels in diabetic rats after 28 days of administration. AETL at both doses decreased (p<0.05) plasma total cholesterol and LDL-c in diabetic rats, but they significantly decreased (p<0.05) HDL-c and increased triglycerideand AST levels in a-dose dependent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results showed that AETL has a dose- dependent decrease in the blood glucose in diabetic rats. However,we should not be unaware of adverse effects of AETL on lipid profiles and liver enzymes activity, especially decrease of HDL and increase of TG and AST.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Birjand University of Medical Sciences (BUMS), Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassanpour Fard
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, BUMS, Birjand ,Iran.
authors.forename: Ghodratollah
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Naseh
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, BUMS, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Nassim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lotfi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, BUMS, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Mahmoud
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health , Research Centre of Experimental Medicine, BUMS, Birjand, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosseini
keywords: Alloxan; Brassica rapa; Diabetes mellitus