No abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with high blood glucose levels due to insulin shortcoming (insulinopenia) or defective insulin action. The objective of the study was to investigate the antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of Foeniculum vulgare in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat. Methods: The effects of the leaves aqueous extract (LAE) of Foeniculum vulgare (F. vulgare) at a dose of 10 mg/kg on blood glucose levels were evaluated in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)- induced diabetic rats. Histopathological changes were also evaluated in liver in STZ-induced rats. Results: Single oral administration of F. vulgare LAE reduced blood glucose levels 6 h after administration in STZ diabetic rats (p<0.0001). Furthermore, blood glucose levels were decreased in both normal (p<0.05) and STZ diabetic rats (p<0.0001) after the fifteenth day of treatment. During this test, both groups did not show any significant change in their body weight. Moreover, this aqueous extract improved oral glucose tolerance in diabetic rats and revealed a positive effect on liver histology. On the other hand, the extract used in this experiment showed an inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 50% of free radicals with a concentration of 43±1.19 µg/ml. While the synthetic antioxidant (BHT) had an IC50 equal to 22.67±2.17µg /ml. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the antihyperglycemic, hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects of the leaves of F. vulgare in normal and diabetic rats.

In conclusion, aqueous M. spicata extract exhibits an interesting antidiabetic effect in streptozotocin rats.

Worldwide, wastewaters constitute a major environmental pollutant. They are very toxic against a wide range of plants and soil microorganisms. Their toxicity is due to the presence of compounds such as polyphenols. In this study, we have isolated yeast strains from the endogenous microflora of the olive flies Bactrocera oleae larvae that were capable of degrading the olive oil mill wastewater polyphenols. The results obtained showed the presence, in the digestive tract of the larvae, of yeast strains resisting to polyphenols. Two resistant strains were isolated and have shown variable capacity of polyphenols degradation that could reach up to 72%. The two isolated strains were identified by two methods: conventional technique and molecular method associating PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene. Both techniques showed that the two isolated strains corresponded to the Candida diddensiae specie. Related to its capacity to degrade polyphenols, this specie would be a potential candidate for wastewater treatment and environmental protection.