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Abstract

Background: Green chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var frutescens) is well-known as a spice used in many cuisines across the world. Capsaicin, as the pharmacologically active component of chili, has been shown to have antioxidant, local analgesic, and hypoglycemic effects based on many studies conducted on the red chili pepper. However, there are limited data regarding the green chili and controversy on defective insulin secretion caused by capsaicin, which in turn may result in diabetes, a metabolic disorder resulting from impaired insulin action or secretion. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the potential diabetogenic effect of ethanolic extract of Capsicum frutescens (EECF) or known as green chili in normal healthy rats. Materials and Methods: Extraction with ethanol solvent was conducted on the fruits of C. frutescens and used as experimental diets in rats for pharmacological evaluation. Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups. Normal control rats were untreated and had normal standard diet. Diabetes was induced experimentally in overnight fasted rats by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at dose of 77 mg/kg body weight (BW). Another two groups of rats were orally administered with EECF in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose solution but at different doses, i.e., 1000 mg/kg and 2000 mg/kg for consecutive 3 weeks. The blood glucose level (BGL) of all the rats was monitored with the help of glucometer and blood collected from tail vein. At the end of 21st day, blood was drawn from retro-orbital plexus in all groups of rats and centrifuged to obtain the blood serum for biochemical analysis. The rats were sacrificed on the same day and organ (pancreas) was taken for histopathological analysis. Result: Significant reduction in BW was noticed in the STZ-induced diabetic rats. The EECF-treated rats showed inhibition of BW gain because of no marked change in BW throughout the study. Severe hyperglycemia occurred in the rats after STZ injection, in contrast to the lower BGL in rats treated with EECF, in which the BGL below 63.0 mg/dL to be considered hypoglycemia. High-dose EECF caused further reduction in BGL. The pancreatic acinar lining cells appeared mildly swollen with an increase in granularity. Elevated activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, and urea were seen in STZ- and EECF-treated rats, indicating some degree of damage to the liver and kidney. The high-dose EECF treated rats had the highest level of these biochemical markers, followed by low-dose EECF and STZ-treated rats. Conclusion: Green chili or EECF contributed to the hypoglycemic effect in normal healthy rats but might induce hepatocellular damage.

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