Influence of Sunflower Oil Supplementation in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

The effect of supplementing sunflower oil and the combined effect of sunflower oil and glibenclamide were studied for 60 days in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in adult male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg b.wt). The control group had normal rats supplemented with ghee. All the groups were supplemented with 8% lipid containing isocaloric diet. Supplementation of sunflower oil significantly reduced blood glucose level when compared to diabetic rats. When sunflower oil and glibenclamide was given together there was a significant reduction in blood glucose level. When diabetic rats were fed with sunflower oil, serum insulin level was increased marginally which was evident by the better glycemic control. Sunflower oil supplementation restored deranged lipid metabolism of diabetic rats by decreasing TG, TC, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol levels and by increasing HDL-cholesterol indicated that supplementing sunflower oil had anti-hyperlipidemic effect. Sunflower oil supplementation exhibited significant improvement in antioxidant enzyme activities of CAT, SOD, GPx and GSH levels in liver, kidney and pancreas of diabetic rats. Histopathological studies on the liver, kidney and pancreas in diabetic rats showed degenerative changes. Supplementation of oil, oil combined with glibenclamide to diabetic rats was able to ameliorate the degenerative changes seen in the above tissues indicating their protective effect on the respective tissues. CAT-catalase, GPx-glutathione peroxidase, GSH-glutathione, HDL-high density lipoprotein, LDL-low density lipoprotein, SOD-superoxide dismutase, STZ-streptozotocin, TC-total cholesterol, TG-triglycerides, VLDL-very low density lipoprotein