Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Supplements Improved Fasting Blood Glucose Level and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Diabetic Wistar Rats

Turmeric is a spice derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa (C. longa) which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).  Curcuma longa is widely used for food spices, preservatives, and coloring agents. Anxiety disorders are the most frequently occurring  mental disorders, they encompass a group of conditions that share extreme or pathological anxiety as the principal disturbance of mood  or emotional tone. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of C. longa supplements on fasting blood glucose levels and anxiety-like  behavior in diabetic Wistar rats. Twenty (20) rats were randomly assigned into five (5) groups of four each (N=4). Group I served as  control and received distilled water (1 ml/kg), groups II, III, IV and V were diabetic and received glibenclamide (1mg/kg), and C. longa  supplements at 2.5%, 5% and 10% respectively. Diabetes was induced using intraperitoneal injection of freshly dissolved alloxan  monohydrate (150 mg/kg). All administrations were made for 21 days. Fasting blood glucose levels and anxiety-like behavior were  determined using a digital glucometer and elevated plus maze test respectively. Based on the results obtained from this study, there was  significant (p < 0.05) improvement in fasting blood glucose levels across all supplemented doses of C. longa (2.5%, 5% and 10% at 9.33 ±  0.46 mmol/L, 11.20 ± 0.68 mmol/L and 11.00 ± 0.40 mmol/L respectively) compared to control group (18.13 ± 1.28 mmol/L). Time spent in  the opened arm was also increased significantly (p < 0.05) in 5% (18.25 1.18 s) and 10% (19.25 1.49 s) groups after 21 days of  supplementation compared to before the commencement of supplementation (9.75 ± 1.11 s and 10.25 ± 1.49 s respectively). These findings suggested that the C. longa supplement improved fasting blood glucose and anxiety-like behavior in diabetic Wistar rats.