Objectives: Zizyphus lotus L. is a medicinal plant, used in traditional medicine for its multiple therapeutic properties. The aim of the present study was to determine the antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of aqueous extracts of different parts of Zizyphus lotus in diabetic Wistar rats. Research methods and procedures: The male Wistar rats were rendered diabetic by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg body weight). Aqueous extracts from different parts, i.e, root, leaf, and seed of Zizyphus lotus L. were prepared and administrated orally to the animals at the dose of 300 mg/kg for 21 days. Blood glucose level was measured, and antioxidant status was assessed by determining oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and the activities of enzymes like catalase, glutathione reductase and peroxidase in pancreas, liver, and erythrocytes. Vitamin C levels were determined by precipitating with 10% trichloroacetic acid. Vitamins A and E concentrations were measured by HPLC. Results: The leaf and root, but not seed, extracts exerted the glucose lowering effect on 21 st day of postadministration. The leaf and root extracts corrected antioxidant status of diabetic animals in pancreas, liver and erythrocytes. The concentrations of different vitamins (vitamin A, C and E) in diabetic rats were also modulated by leaf and root, but not seed, extracts. Conclusion(s): Our study shows that oral administration of Zizyphus lotus L. extracts from roots and leaves exerted antidiabetic and antioxidant effects in diabetic rats. Z. lotus L. seems to be a good candidate to lower, in addition to conventional antidiabetic drugs, the hyperglycaemia in diabetic subjects.

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The olive tree had been domesticated during the early Neolithic in the Near East, and more than 1000 different cultivars have been identified to date. However, examples of wild olive trees (Olea europaea oleaster) can still be found in the Mediterranean basin. Evidence of oleaster use for oil production can be found in historical and sacred texts, such as the Odyssey, the Holey Koran, and the Holey Bible. While the nutritional and healthful properties of olive oil are actively being explored, there are no data on the human actions of oleaster oil. Therefore, we investigated the effect of prolonged, i.e., 1 month, consumption of oleaster oil on the lipid profile of a 40 healthy Algerian subjects (aged 27.9 ± 3.85 years), as compared to nonconsumers from the same area. Plasma urea, creatinine, and uric acid concentrations and glycemia did not significantly differ, at the end of the study, between controls and oleaster-oil-supplemented subjects. Conversely, we recorded significant decreases of plasma triglyceride concentration (-24.8%; p < 0.05), total cholesterol (-12.13%; p < 0.05), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (-24.39%; p < 0.05) in oleaster-oil-treated subjects. Concomitantly, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were significantly increased (17.94%; p < 0.05) by oleaster oil administration. In conclusion, we show that oil obtained from feral olive trees, i.e., oleasters, improves the plasma lipid profile of healthy volunteers.

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