Alfalfa Research Paper

Background: Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a leguminous plant with high contents of phytoestrogen and saponin which are both useful in preventing diabetes disorders. Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder that is specified by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of alfalfa on blood glucose and serum lipids in alloxan diabetic rats.
Method: Thirty-two adult female wistar rats weighing 210-250 g were recruited and divided randomly into four groups of eight animals each for 21 days as follows. Control group, diabetic control group, diabetic group + aqueous extract of alfalfa (250mg/l), diabetic group+aqueous extract of alfalfa (500mg/l.

For investigation of treatment effect 21 days after the alfalfa solution administration, blood sample of all animals prepared and Serum concentrations of total cholesterol (Chol), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), Very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL), glucose, the liver enzymes aspartate transaminase(AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were measured at the end of supplementation period in all studied groups.
Histological studies
After a 3-week experimental period and the last blood sampling, the whole pancreas and liver was removed after sacrificing the animal and was fixed in 10% formalin for histopathological examination. Sections were cut and stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for histological examination(10).
Statistical Analysis: Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS software version 13.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Between-group comparisons of biochemical factors were carried out using Kruskal-Wallis test. Post-hoc multiple comparisons were made using Tukey test. p-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically