Natural remedies from medicinal plants are considered to be effective and safe alternative treatment for
diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to investigate the
hypoglycemic activity of the crude
tea leaves extract on
streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. The average
body weight of animals with diabetes and their percentage changes of
body weight gain after 15 and 30 days were significantly lower than that of the normal control mice. In diabetic mice, supplementation with
tea leaves extract decreased the loss of
body weight. After 15 and 30 days, significant increases in the levels of serum
glucose,
triglycerides,
cholesterol,
creatinine,
urea,
uric acid, glutamic
pyruvic acid transaminase (GPT) and glutamic
oxaloacetic acid transaminase (GOT) were noted in STZ-diabetic mice fed with normal diet. Also, the values of total
protein in this group were statistically declined after 15 and 30 days. The levels of serum
glucose and GPT were significantly elevated after 15 and 30 days in diabetic mice supplemented with
tea leaves extract. Moreover, the level of serum GOT was notably increased after 30 days. Insignificant alterations were observed in the levels of serum
triglycerides,
cholesterol, total
protein,
creatinine,
urea and
uric acid in diabetic mice supplemented with
tea leaves extract. Thus, the present results have shown that
tea leaves extract has the
antihyperglycemic,
antihyperlipidemic, and antihyperproteinemic effects and consequently may alleviate liver and kidney damage associated with STZ-induced diabetes in mice.