Effect of Methanolic Extract of Phoenix dactylifera L. Seeds (PDS) on Blood Glucose levels of Normoglycemic and Dexamethasone induced Diabetic Rabbits

Abstract Background: The seeds of the date palm have also been shown to have nutritional and therapeutic properties. Plants are the source of many pharmaceutical compounds, so herbal treatments are attractive. In folk medicine, date seeds are commonly used to treat diabetes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate anti-diabetic potential of the methanolic extract of date palm seed (PDS) in dexamethasone (DMTZ) -induced diabetic rabbits.Materials and Methods: The intraperitoneal injection of Dexamethasone (DMTZ) (150 mg/kg), experimental diabetes was induced in 42 male rabbits. The rabbits were divided into seven groups and administered the following treatments orally for 30 days: normal control (no treatment), placebo group, diabetic (no treatment), diabetic with PDS extract (200 mg/kg/day, P.O), diabetic with PDS extract (400 mg/kg/day, P.O), diabetic with PDS extract (400 mg/kg/day, P.O) with insulin (2UI/ kg B.Wt.), and diabetic with insulin (2UI/ kg B.Wt.). Histopathological examination of the pancreas was performed. The results are expressed as mean ± SD and variations of some animals were compared in the using of one-way ANOVA. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Statistical evaluation was performed using Microsoft Excel, and SPSS software version.Results: The methanolic PDS extract has been shown to have a significant anti-diabetic effect (P ≤ 0.05). This effect may be due to the presence of flavonoids, saponins and fatty acids in the extract, which could function through different mechanisms. Furthermore, pancreas tissue regeneration was histologically clean. However, further research is needed to isolate and elucidate the bioactive compound(s) responsible for its anti-diabetic properties, as well as its molecular mechanism of action.Conclusion: This study suggests the anti-diabetic potential of date palm seed extract, which might be due to its hypoglycemic properties.