The consumption of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) effectively alleviates type 2 diabetes symptoms in spontaneous diabetic rats

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is described by various beneficial effects as it contains several bioactive substances characterized by antioxidant effects. These effects are closely related to the reduction of oxidative stress that is involved in the development of the disease. One such diseases is Diabetes mellitus, the prevalence of which is growing and is associated primarily with diet, lack of exercise and/or genetics. This study intends to examine the effects of sea buckthorn and metformin on body weight, water and feed intake, glycaemia, insulinemia, sorbitol accumulation and cataract development in Zucker diabetic fatty rats, which represent an animal model of type 2 Diabetes mellitus, as well as to characterize the individual content of bioactive substances and the antioxidant activity of sea buckthorn. Particular concentrations were applied (500 and 1000 mg.kg−1 body weight of sea buckthorn, and combinations with 150 mg.kg−1 body weight of metformin) by gastric gavage. The total antioxidant capacity and bioactive compounds were determined by spectrophotometric analysis. The best results of the study showed suppression of hyperglycaemia, water intake, decreased sorbitol levels in the lens of the eyes after sea buckthorn treatment. Determination of bioactive compounds showed significantly higher values in dry berries when compared to fresh berries of sea buckthorn and high total antioxidant capacity. Our results represent an interest in sea buckthorn and its potential use in the treatment of Diabetes mellitus as well as other experimental studies.