Anti-diabetic activity of combination of Aloe vera, Allium sativum, selenium, and chromium picolinate in alloxaninduced diabetic rats

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by deleterious effects on multiple organs. Existing remedial strategies highlight the advancement of herbal and mineral agents to target multiple mechanisms controlling the pathology of DM. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the hypoglycemic and organ-protective effects of poly-herbal poly-mineral combinations for DM treatment.Materials and Methods: Five groups of Wistar rats comprising 6 rats in each group were treated with vehicle (sterile water) to control group, alloxan (150 mg/kg, i.p.) to all the groups except the vehicle control group, sitagliptin (40 mg/kg, p.o.) as standard drug treatment, polyherbal polymineral combination treatment with Aloe vera gel (200 mg/kg) + Allium sativum juice (250 mg/kg) + Selenium (100 μg) + Chromium Picolinate (40 μg) to fourth group, and A. vera gel (200 mg/kg) + A. sativum juice 250 mg/kg orally to fifth group. Results: The untreated diabetic group animals exhibited high blood glucose levels with elevated lipid profile parameters and pronounced tissue damage, necrosis, and severe damage to both the pancreas and liver. The polyherbal-polymineral preparation (PhPmP) treatment significantly decreased the blood glucose levels and improved lipid profile when compared to the polyherbal preparation. Histopathological analysis of liver and pancreas revealed faster cellular recovery in the group treated with PhPmP with minimal necrosis in pancreatic acini and islets, along with reduced hemorrhages in the liver’s portal triad. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the combined treatment of selenium and chromium picolinate with A. vera gel and A. sativum juice provides enhanced therapeutic benefits by improving the pancreatic and liver functions and reducing the risk of cardiovascular complications simultaneously in diabetic animals.