Effect of Turnip on Glucose and Lipid Profiles of Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

In traditional medicine turnip (Brassica napus)، is used to reduce blood glucose. Furthermore، Turnip also has antioxidant effects and many plants with antioxidant activities are known to have antidiabetic properties. Therefore in this study، the antihyperglycemic effect of boiled turnip extract and metabolic changes on triglycerides، cholesterol، high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) in diabetic rats were investigated. In this experimental study، 40 male Wistar rats، weighing 200 to 250g were divided in to 4 groups: control، diabetic control، diabetic group receiving cooked Turnip and diabetic group receiving Glibenclamide. Diabetes was induced by injection of 120 mg/kg alloxan monohydrate on 3 consecutive days. Rats in the third group received 16ml/kg turnip extract daily for 4 weeks after which the animals were anesthetized and blood samples were taken to measure the factors mentoned. Data were analyzed by Analysis of Variance test using SPSS software. Boiled turnip extract significantly reduced serum glucose، triglycerides، cholesterol and LDL، and increase HDL، in diabetic rats compared to the control diabetic group (p<0. 05). This study demonstrated that boiled turnip extract can reduce blood glucose and lipid levels in diabetic rats and may be used as complementary or alternative treatment for diabetic patients.