Salvia libanotica improves glycemia and serum lipid profile in rats fed a high fat diet.
BACKGROUND
Salvia libanotica (S. Libanotica) is a commonly used herb in folk medicine in Lebanon and the Middle East. The present study aimed to assess the scientific basis for the therapeutic use of S. libanotica in glycemia and to evaluate its effects on lipemia and abdominal fat.


METHODS
Animals were fed a high-fat diet and allocated into a control and three experimental groups (GI, GII and GIII) receiving incremental doses of the plant water extract in drinking water (50, 150 and 450 mg/Kg body weight respectively) for six weeks.


RESULTS
The intake of S. libanotica extract was associated with a significant decrease in fasting serum glucose (102.9 ± 10.8 in GII and 87.5 ± 6.4 in GIII vs. 152.1 ± 7.9 mg/dl in controls) and a two fold increase in fasting serum insulin (GIII) and liver glycogen content (GII and GIII). Group III also had better glucose tolerance following intraperitoneal glucose challenges. Additionally, the plant extract intake produced a significant improvement in serum HDL (34.4 ± 2.4 in GIII vs. 27.2 ± 1.9 mg/dl in controls) and HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio (2.79 ± 0.32 in GII and 3.02 ± 0.31 in GIII vs. 1.74 ± 0.18 in controls), as well as a decrease in abdominal fat.


CONCLUSIONS
The current study is the first to demonstrate that the chronic intake of S. libanotica infusion helps in the prevention of high fat-induced hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. This supports the plant use as a remedy for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon. mbassil@lau.edu.lb.
Maya
M
Bassil
Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon. cdaher@lau.edu.lb.
Costantine F
CF
Daher
School of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon. mmroueh@lau.edu.lb.
Mohammad
M
Mroueh
Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon. nadine.zeeni@lau.edu.lb.
Nadine
N
Zeeni
D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000187:drug effects; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006003:Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D027544:Salvia
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D006003:Glycogen; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase