Vol. 7(23), pp. 1568-1574, 22 June, 2013 DOI 10.5897/AJPP2013.3603 ISSN 1996-0816 © 2013 Academic Journals http://www.academicjournals.org/AJPP African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Full Length Research Paper In vivo assessment of antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activity from oil of linseed in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats Manoj Kumar 1 , Sunil Sharma 2 * and Neeru Vasudeva 2 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana- 125001, India. 2 Pharmacology Divisions, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Post Box: 38, Hisar-125001, India. Accepted 27 May, 2013 In the present study, the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of oil from seeds of Linum usitatissimum Linn. (LO) were investigated. A streptozotocin-nicotinamide (STZ) rat model of hyperglycaemia was used to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant properties of oil of linseed. The body weight, oral glucose tolerance test and biochemical parameters namely; glucose level, insulin level, liver glycogen content, glycosylated hemoglobin and antioxidant parameters were estimated for all treated groups and compared against diabetic control group. LO (500 and 1000 mg/kg/day) in respective groups of diabetic animals administered for 28 days reduced the blood glucose level in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats. There was significant increase in body weight, liver glycogen content, plasma insulin level and decrease in the blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin in test groups as compared to control group. In vivo antioxidant studies on STZ-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats revealed decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased reduced glutathione (GSH). The findings demonstrate that LO have excellent antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities and thus have great potential as a source for natural health products. Key words: Streptozotocin, Linum usitatissimum, fixed oil, malondialdehyde (MDA), diabetes. INTRODUCTION A number of plants are being used from ancient times for the management of various disease like diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cancer, inflammation, pain etc. Many herbal products including several metals and minerals have been described for the care of diabetes mellitus in ancient literature (Nadkarni et al., 1992). Ayurveda, an ancient Indian form of medicine, deals with plants and plant extracts. This indigenous form of medicine uses the active ingredients present in plants for treating diseases (Lewis and Elvin-Lewis, 1997). Plant drugs are frequently considered to be less toxic and free from side effects than synthetic ones (Momin, 1987). Many herbs have shown to possess hypoglycaemic action in animals and humans (Twaij and Al-Badr, 1988; Gupta, 1994). Linum usitatissimum Linn. (Linaceae) is one of the important medicinal plants being used in various systems of medicine and food (Velisek et al., 1995). Human being has consumed flaxseed since the beginning of the *Corresponding author. E-mail: sharmask71@rediffmail.com. Tel: 01662-263561. Fax: 01662-278181.