Tariq, et al: Nigella Sativa’s effect ORIGINAL ARTICLE Nigella Sativa’s Effect on Biochemical as well as Anthropometric Parameters in Diabetic Rats on High Fat Diet Salman Mohammad Tariq 1 , Kamil Khan 2 , M Merchant Sadiq 3 , Shukla Pooja 4 , Sindhu Suyog 5 , S Kushwah Devendra 6 ABSTRACT Objective: Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seeds and its crude extract or essential oils have been widely used traditionally for nutritional and medicinal applications in Asian countries. Its effects on diabetics with high fat diet consumption have not been adequately studied. This study was undertaken to study its effects on body weight, abdominal girth, lipid profile and plasma glucose levels in diabetic high fat diet fed rats. Materials and Methods : Streptozotocin induced male Wistar rats were fed high fat diet [5130 kcal] for 4 weeks after which they were given vehicle, Nigella sativa ethanolic extract (300mg/kg), Nigella sativa ethanolic extract (600 mg) or metformin (100 mg). Lipid profile, blood glucose, body weight & abdominal girth were measured. Results: Nigella sativa ethanolic extract (600 mg) caused significant reduction in blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL and non HDL cholesterol comparable to metformin. Conclusion : Nigella sativa shows anti-hyperglycemic effects and improvement in lipid profile in diabetic high fat diet fed rats which is comparable to metformin. Further studies are required to advocate its use in patients with diabetes and dyslipidemias. KEY WORDS: Nigella sativa, diabetes mellitus, antihyperlipidemic, antihyperglycemic, high fat. Introduction Diabetes has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality and its global prevalence is growing rapidly. According to International Diabetes Federa- tion there were 366 million people with diabetes in 2011 and this is expected to rise to 552 million by 2030 [1] . The epidemic of diabetes has been linked to change in modern lifestyle and rise in obesity [2,3] . Susceptible over nourished individuals develop type 2 diabetes owing to the failure of adaptive responses Access this article online Quick Response Code: Website: www.jmsh.ac.in Doi: 10.46347/jmsh.v9i1.21.253 1 Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur, UP, India, 2 Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur, UP, India, 3 Senior Resident, Department of Surgery, Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, Kolkata, WB, India, 4 Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, UP, India, 5 Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Era’s Lucknow Medical College, Era University, Lucknow, UP, India, 6 Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior, MP, India Address for correspondence: Kamil Khan, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Sitapur, UP, India. E-mail: dr.kamilkhan@gmail.com to safely dispose of the fuel surfeit [4] . India is the diabetes capital of the world; every fifth diabetic in the world is an Indian [5] . Since India has a rich wealth of medicinal plants and the potential to accept the challenge to meet the global demand for them [6] , Indian medicinal herbs need to be explored for their efficacy in obese diabetics. Nigella sativa (NS) (Black cumin), an annual herba- ceous plant of the Ranunculaceae family, is a commonly used spice in Indian food and has been used for medicinal purposes in Asian and African countries [7] . Several beneficial pharmacolog- ical properties have been attributed to it such as antihyperglycemic [8] , antiobesity [9] , antihyperlipi- demic [10] , antimicrobial [11] , antiviral [12] , hepatopro- tective [13] and nephroprotective [14] activities. Nigella sativa extracts have shown promising results as an antidiabetic agent in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic Journal of Medical Sciences and Health/Jan-April 2023/Volume 9/Issue 1 16