Diabetes mellitus patient care: An ethnopharmacological study and evaluation of antidiabetic activity invitro and in vivo on experimental high-fat diet model

Diabetes control in Algeria is necessary for the population's health and the national economy. Indeed, the current challenge is to find practical, safe products containing plant extracts. Diabetes mellitus is a significant health urgency despite the chronic and often silent nature of type 2 diabetes. This work began with a preliminary ethnopharmacological study with diabetic patients in the province of Blida, followed by a chemical analysis of the selected samples. Finally, an evaluation of the antidiabetic effect of plant extracts administered to animals made diabetic by streptozotocin at low doses. In addition, a demonstration of the harmlessness of the plant extracts studied was carried out by adopting the European Guideline code 423. Ethnopharmacological data have highlighted four interesting species for their abundance and availability: Artemisia herba alba, Olea europaea, Marrubium vulgare, and Salvia officinalis. The results of the phytochemical study show that the species studied contain, in particular, phenolic compounds and flavonoids, substances with a potentially interesting antidiabetic activity demonstrated in vitro by the marked effect of inhibition of intestinal α-glucosidase. The results of animal experiments show an interesting effect on glycemia of extracts of A. herba alba and O. europaea compared to the diabetic control group and a decrease in fasting blood glucose levels for the groups treated with 300 mg/kg body weight of A. herba alba (-61.82%) or O. europaea extract (-56.82%) versus reference drug (-54.66%). Consequently, the opportunity is present to provide raw materials in sufficient quantity and quality for possible future valorization in the pharmaceutical and agri-food fields.