Preventive and Ameliorative Effects of Diet Supplemented with Cucurbita maxima Leaf on Hyperglycemia and Hepatotoxicity in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats

Background and Objective: Plant materials rich in antioxidant phytochemicals are able to offset the harmful effects of chemicals in the body. The antidiabetic and anti-hepatotoxic effects were investigated in STZ-induced diabetic rats fed a diet supplemented with Cucurbita maxima leaves. Materials and Methods: Sixty rats were randomly assigned into 6 groups of five animals each (n = 5) in preventive and ameliorative trials. Rats were supplemented with 5, 10, 15 and 20% Cucurbita maxima leaf for four weeks. The ANOVA in SPSS version 20 was used to examine the data followed by the Bonferroni multiple comparison (post hoc) Test. Results: Preliminary analysis of Cucurbita maxima leaf powder revealed antioxidant potential, with an IC₅₀ for DPPH scavenging activity of 3.1 μg mg^–1. The glucose levels and liver function parameters of the groups whose diets were supplemented with Cucurbita maxima leaf did not show signification (p>0.05) variations as compared to the normal control group in both preventive and ameliorative treatments. Conclusion: In both preventive and ameliorative trials, it can be concluded that the Cucurbita maxima leaves exhibit antihyperglycemic and anti-hepatotoxic effects.