27 Hygeia.J.D.Med.5 (2) October 2013; 27-33 Research article Hygeia.J.D.Med.vol.5 (2), October 2013 Page: 27-33 Hygeia :: journal for drugs and medicines October 2013 – March 2014 OPEN ACCESS A half yearly scientific, international, open access journal for drugs and medicines Research article section: Pharmacology Rid: H-6094-2013, Article ID- Hygeia.J.D.Med/106/13 The Anti-diabetic, Hypolipidemic and Anti-oxidant activities of D-3- O-methylchiroinositol in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Isaac U. Asuzu* and Chinaka O. Nwaehujor Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. Article history: Received: 30 July 2013, revised: 5 August 2013, accepted: 10 August 2013, Available online: 3 October 2013 ABSTRACT Plan: The anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of D-3-O-methylchiroinositol were investigated in male Wistar rats. Methodology: Diabetes was induced by a single intra-peritoneal injection of 150 mg/kg of alloxan monohydrate. Five groups of rats comprising six animals in each group were used including a positive control group (glibenclamide, 2 mg/kg), treatment groups (8, 4 and 2 mg/kg of D-3-O-methylchiroinositol respectively) and control (untreated) group. Blood samples were obtained from the rat tails every morning before treatment. Outcome: Alloxan-induced hyperglycaemia was significantly (p< 0.05) reduced by 59%, 48% and 41% after four days at 8, 4 and 2 mg/kg respectively compared with the untreated group (-135%) and Glibenclamide (50%). The in vitro anti-oxidant assays (DPPH and FRAP) showed that D-3-O-methylchiroinositol increased anti-oxidant activities with increasing concentration (10 – 400 μg/ml). D-3-O-methylchiroinositol therefore has anti-diabetic hypolipidemic and anti-oxidant activities. Keywords: D-3-O-methylchiroinositol; diabetes; hyperglycemia; cholesterol; DPPH; FRAP. 1. INTRODUCTION Diabetes mellitus remains a global major health problem in the World over with the tropics inclusive. In the past decade, the United States has recorded a 33% rise in diabetes cases 1 . D-3-O- methylchiroinositol has a structural formula similar to the phosphatidylinositol phosphate, which participates in the insulin signaling pathways that stimulate glucose transport 2 . It has been observed that D- chiroinositol reduced urinary potency with impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus in rhesus monkeys and human subjects 3 . D-3-0-methylchiroinositol D-chiroinositol also improved glucose tolerance in normal rats and increased gluconeogenesis in the diaphragm 4 . Alloxan causes diabetes through its ability to destroy the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas 5 . In vitro studies have shown that alloxan is selectively toxic to pancreatic beta cells, leading to the introduction of cell necrosis 6 . _______________________________________________________________________ For Correspondence: iasuzu@yahoo.ie Hygeia.J.D.Med. Vol.5 (2), October 2013 Hygeia journal for drugs and medicines, © 2013, 2229 3590, 0975 6221 Rid: H-6094-2013