Background: Traditional plant treatment for diabetes has shown a surging interest in the last few decades.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the hypoglycemic effect of the aqueous extract of C. papaya
leaves in diabetic rats. Several studies have reported that some parts of the C. papaya plant exert hypoglycemic
effects in both animals and humans.
Methods: Diabetes was induced in rats by intraperitoneal administration of 60 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ). The
aqueous extract of C. papaya was administered in three different doses (0.75, 1.5 and 3 g/100 mL) as drinking water
to both diabetic and non-diabetic animals during 4 weeks.
Results: The aqueous extract of Carica papaya (0.75 g and 1.5 g/100 mL) significantly decreased blood glucose
levels (p