Magnesium and Melatonin Co-Administration Attenuates Blood Glucose Levels in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose. The raised blood glucose level if not properly managed can results in damage and failure of several vital organs such as the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, and blood vessels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of co-administration of melatonin and magnesium on blood glucose level of streptozotocin-induced Type 1 diabetic Wistar rats. To achieve this aim sixty-four Wistar rats were used in the study. Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce chemical type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) after two weeks acclimatization period in fifty-eight Wistar rats. Fifty-three rats were diabetic and fourty-eight diabetic rats were randomly distributed in eight groups and six normal normoglycaemic rats were used as control. The animals were assigned into nine groups as follows, Normal control group (NC), Diabetic control (DC) group, Melatonin Low dose group of 10 mg/kgb (MLD), magnesium low dose group of 240 mg/kgbw (MgLD), melatonin and magnesium combined low dose group of 10mg/kgbw+240mg/kgbw (MMgLD), melatonin high dose group of 20mg/kgbw (MHD), magnesium high dose group of 480mg/kgbw (MgHD), melatonin and magnesium high dose combined group of 20mg/kgbw+480mg/kgbw (MMgHD) and insulin at 500mg/kgbw group (IN). Melatonin and insulin were administered through intraperitoneal injections (IP) while magnesium was by oral administration. The control groups were given placebo and all group treatment was for twenty-one days. Blood glucose was measured weekly in all groups by day 8, day 15 and day 22. At the end of the evaluation Day 22, the blood glucose levels showed a highly significant decrease (p˂0.05) in melatonin treatment group at low dose (MLD), melatonin and magnesium combined group at low doses (MMgLD), melatonin treatment group at high doses (MHD) and insulin treated group (IN) when compared with normoglycaemic group (NC) while groups treated with Magnesium at low doses (MgLD), magnesium treated group at high doses and melatonin and magnesium treatment group at high doses (MMgHD) showed no significant decrease (p˂0.05) in blood glucose levels as compared with diabetic control (DC). Melatonin and magnesium co-administration has hypoglycaemic effects on blood glucose levels in STZ-induced type 1 diabetic Wistar rats.