Abstract / Summary
Abstract Background T2DM is defined by hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia. Hibiscus sabdariffa and Psidium guajava have been reported to possess antidiabetic properties individually but the combination of these two plants has not been explored for their therapeutic potential. Objective To evaluate the antihyperglycaemic, antihyperlipidaemic and insulin-sensitising effects of hydroethanolic extracts of H. sabdariffa and P. guajava alone or in combination in a high-fat diet/streptozotocin (HFD/STZ)-induced T2DM rat model. Material and Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats with HFD/STZ-induced T2DM were orally treated with H. sabdariffa (200 or 400 mg/kg), P. guajava (200 or 400 mg/kg), their binary combination (200 + 200 mg/kg) or acarbose (10 mg/kg) for four weeks. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance (OGTT), HOMA-IR, HbA1c, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and LDL-cholesterol were analysed. Result Combination therapy significantly improved metabolic parameters compared with diabetic controls (all p < 0.001) by reducing FBG (268.3 ± 41.6 to 178.7 ± 33.5 mg/dL), OGTT-AUC (39,700 ± 1,369 to 29,280 ± 2,432.9), HOMA-IR (7.6 ± 0.2 to 3.3 ± 0.2), LDL-cholesterol (96.3 ± 2.1 to 20.5 ± 2.4 mg/dL), TG (199.0 ± 2.0 to 81.9 ± 2.0 mg/dL), and TC (166.3 ± 3.8 to 93.3 ± 3.1 mg/dL). Only the high-dose extract and acarbose groups showed a significant decrease in HbA1c. Conclusion The binary combination of H. sabdariffa and P. guajava was more effective than either extract alone in improving glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism, supporting its potential as a complementary therapeutic strategy for T2DM. Further long-term preclinical and clinical studies are needed.