Antidyslipidemic and Antioxidant Activities of Matricaria pubescens (Desf.) Shultz.in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

The study aimed to evaluate the antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant activities of Matricaria pubescens.Matricaria pubescens (Desf.) Shultz belongs to Asteraceae family and it is commonly used traditionally for handling diabetes mellitus.The objective of this study was to assess the antioxidant activity of Matricaria pubescens (Desf.) Shultz and its effect on lipid and lipoprotein profile in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.The effect of repeated (7 days of treatment) oral administration of the aqueous extract of aerial part of Matricaria pubescens (MPAE) at a dose of 40 mg/kg on lipid and lipoprotein profile was examined in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, a preliminary phytochemical screening and the quantification of phenolic, flavonoid and tannin contents as well as the antioxidant activity using two methods (FRAP and ABTS) were carried out.MPAE demonstrated a potent antidyslipidemic effect in diabetic rats by reducing serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). In addition, the results showed that the extract is rich in several phytochemical compounds and revealed an important antioxidant activity.In summary, this study proved that Matricaria pubescens (Desf.) Shultz. has a favorable effect on diabetic dyslipidemia.