Abstract
Background and Objective: Traditional antidiabetic medications have limitations in terms of safety, efficacy and cost. So, it is critical to investigate natural or herbal remedies that can overcome these obstacles. Melatonin and garlic separately have shown evidence of multiple therapeutic effects towards diabetic subjects. To investigate the anti-diabetic and hypolipidemic effects of the combination of low doses of melatonin and garlic in Nicotinamide-Streptozotocin (NA/STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Materials and Methods: About 48 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups including control (C), diabetic (D), glibenclamide 5 mg kg(-1) (D+GLC), melatonin 10 mg kg(-1) (D+M), garlic extract 100 mg kg(-1) (D+G) and combined melatonin and garlic (D+M+G). All treatments were given orally daily for 8 weeks after induction of hyperglycemia by STZ/NA. Food intake, body weight, fasting blood glucose, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), serum insulin, lipid profile as well as serum IL-6 and TNF-beta, were estimated. Results: Combined melatonin and garlic resulted in a 37.2% reduction in fasting blood glucose levels with amelioration in OGTT (p < 0.05). Also, M+G increased serum insulin levels (25.3%), improved lipid parameters and reduced serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-beta (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These results indicate that the combination of melatonin and garlic possessed a beneficial potential impact in diabetic mice. The effect of the two drugs together was comparable to that of glibenclamide, which enhances the possibility of using one or both of them as adjuncts to the traditional diabetes drugs to reduce their doses.