Feed Consumption and Weight Gain in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Rats Treated With Azadirachta Indica (Neem) and Plathymenia Reticulata

Introduction: Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Meliaceae) is a tree native to India that has several medicinal effects. It has been reported that the leaves and oil of Neem seeds present antihyperglycemic/hypoglycemic activity. Plathymenia reticulata benth, known as “vinhático”, is a Brazilian cerrado tree that has properties of pancreatic islet hyperplasia and glycemic control in diabetic rats. Objective: To verify weight gain correlating with feed intake in rats with type 1 and non-diabetic diabetes mellitus, undertreatment with Neem and Plathymenia and the association between them. Methodology: Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal streptozotocin (65mg/kg) administration after a 24-hour fast. The diagnosis was made using a blood glucose value above 200mg/dl. The study was conducted in 60 male adult Wistar rats, weighing between 180 and 220 grams, divided into 9 groups, between diabetics (DM) and non-diabetic controls (NDC), and treated with Neem (300 mg/kg), cold aqueous extract of Plathymenia (100 mg/kg), water (negative control) and insulin (3 IU/day) – positive control; and association between plants. The treatment was performed by orogastric gavage for a period of 28 consecutive days, and weekly weight and daily feed intake were performed. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer’s pos-hoc test, Pearson correlation with a significance level of 5% through the SPSS25.0 software. The results are expressed on average ± EPM. Results: There was lower weight gain in diabetic rats undergoing neem treatment, compared with positive and negative control (-13.00 ± 5.13 vs 150.40 ± 6.80, vs 15.79 ± 7.25, p<0.001); the average daily feed intake was higher in rats treated with neem, compared with positive and negative control (42.00 ± 0.00 vs 26.00 ± 1.26 vs 33.83 ± 0.00; p=0,001). There was no significant difference between the other diabetic groups, except for positive control – insulin. There was also lower weight gain in control animals with Neem, compared with negative control (53.50 ± 4.21 vs 80.00 ± 5.76, p=0.010). The average daily food intake was higher in control animals with Neem compared to negative control (24.00 ± 0.00 vs 15.00 ± 0.00, p=0.029). There was a significant negative correlation between weight gain and food intake in the animals studied (p=0.005). Conclusion: The results allow evaluating a lower weight gain, with higher average daily food intake, in rats treated with Neem, both diabetic and control. This effect may indicate possible use of plant extract in prediabetics, obese diabetics and in the treatment of obesity.