The protective role of Urtica dioica extract in improving the physiological and biochemical properties against diabetes experimentally induced male rats‏‏

Urtica dioica has been used as herbal medicine to lower blood sugar. This study aims to reduce the toxic effect and some biochemical variables in diabetic patients. This study was conducted on 24 rats weighing between 170 and 200 grams. After two weeks of acclimatization, the rats were divided into four groups: the control group, the Urtica dioica group, the alloxan diabetic group, and the Diabetes + Urtica dioica groups, where the treatment was given orally through a gastric tube at a rate (10 mg/kg BW) for a period of 28 days. Results: Compared to the control group, administration of Urtica dioica extract to diabetic rats was associated with significantly lower glucose levels as well as lower levels of HbA1c, triglycerides, total cholesterol, Very-Low-Density Lipoproteins-Cholesterol (VLDL), high-density lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein-Cholesterol (LDL), creatine, urea, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin, and showed an increase in the level of C-peptide and the level of vitamin D, total protein, albumin, and globulin. Giving Urtica dioica extract showed improvement in most results. In Conclusion, Urtica dioica extract is beneficial for improving diabetes by lowering glucose levels as well as positively affecting lipids and proteins. Keywords: Biochemical parameters, Diabetes mellitus, Urtica dioica extract