DOI: 10.36347/sajp

Pages: 332-335

The influence of Nigella sativa seeds melanin and insulin was compared in alloxan (185 mg/kg/i.p.) - diabetic rats regarding the blood glucose level, blood cells and other parameters and the body weights. Treatment of the animals with melanin 50 mg/kg i.p daily for three days or with insulin 5 IU/kg i.p for the same period induced significant decreases in the blood glucose level with a maximum of (49.5%) and (47.8%) on the 3rd day of treatment, respectively. Both treatments induced significant decreases in the number of leukocytes and lymphocytes (4.2-13.7%); compared with the diabetic control animals. Diabetes alone or melanin and insulin treatment of the diabetic animals suppressed the normal increase in body weight observed in the control non-diabetic animals. On broad basis, Nigella sativa melanin seemed to be a potential hypoglycemic agent.