EFFECT OF DURUM WHEAT BRAN ON GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM IN DIABETIC RATS.

Introduction: Durum wheat bran is obtained from wheat milling, it’s considered as an excellent source of insoluble dietary fibre. Objective. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of wheat bran (WB)  on glucose and lipid metabolism in normal and diabetic rats. Materials and Methods. Twenty-four female rats of "Wistar" were divided into four groups each containing six rats. The first group (NCR) was fed by a control diet while the second group (NCRE) was fed by the experimental diet based on durum wheat bran. For the third and fourth group after streptozotocin (STZ) injection, they were fed by a control diet (DCR) and experimental diet (DRE) respectively. The Blood Glucose (g/L) and weight (g) of these groups was measured at the end of each week for a period of four weeks, the serum lipid parameters in the fasting condition, such as TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C were evaluated at the end of the experience. Results. WB was high in dietary fibre (41%). The results show a significant decrease in blood glucose ( p<0.04)  and body weight ( p<0.05 ) in DRE group compared to DCR group  and non-diabetic groups. No significant difference was observed for cholesterol and triglyceride levels, a difference of p<0.05 for HDL-C was observed between the diabetic experimental diet group and the non-diabetic control diet group. For LDL-C, the difference was observed between the diabetic experimental group and the non-diabetic experimental group (p<0.001). Conclusion Our results indicated that WB exerting a glycemic and a serum lipid regulation effect in experimental diabetic rats