Effects of Sargassum Glaucescens Algae on Blood Glucose Level in Diabetic Rats With a High-Fat Diet and Streptozotocin

Background: Diabetes medications can have dramatic effects on controlling the disease and achieving the therapeutic goals of people with diabetes, but most of them have side effects. Given the role of brown algae in maintaining blood glucose levels, their investigation can provide valuable information for the control and treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Accordingly, this study investigated the effect of Sargassum glaucescens on blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Forty-six randomly selected rats were assigned to five groups. The control group was fed the normal diet, and diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin (STZ) and a high-fat diet (HFD). The other groups included the diabetes+low dose insulin group, diabetes+high dose insulin, and diabetic rats that received Sargassum Glaucescens 20% alga powder added to fatty food. Weekly blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), the amount of drinking water, food consumed, urine volume, glucose tolerance test (GTT), and insulin tolerance test (ITT) underwent measurement. Results: The mean of ITT in the diabetic group was significantly higher than in the control group (P=0.001), which indicates insulin resistance in these groups. The lowest blood glucose concentration was in the high-dose insulin group; weekly blood glucose, GTT, ITT, and HbA1c in the alga group did not change compared to diabetes. However, some indicators, such as HbA1c, were better in the group receiving algae than in the low-dose insulin group. The weight of the group receiving algae increased until the third week, but it decreased after that, and at the end of the study, it was lower in this group than in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: The study findings revealed that Sargassum Glaucescens algae had no significant effect on serum glucose, GTT, ITT, or HbA1c in the studied rats.