Hyperglycemia mediated oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of diabetes and its secondary complications. An increase in oxidative damage due to excessive generation of free radicals is associated with etiology of insulin resistance. Recently, we have reported the antidiabetic potential of carvacrol in HFD fedlow dose STZ induced type 2 diabetic rats. Carvacrol, a monoterpenic phenol found to be present in many essential oils of the family Labiatae including Origanum, Satureja, Thymbra, Thymus, and Corydothymus species. It exerts various beneficial and pharmacological properties. The present study was designed to investigate the antioxidant properties of carvacrol in high fat fed - low dose streptozotocin-induced experimental type 2 diabetes in rats. Oral administration carvacrol at a concentration of 20 mg/kg body weight to diabetic rats for a period of 30 days resulted in significant decrease in blood glucose level. Further, treatment with carvacrol significantly improved the levels of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and reduced the levels of lipid peroxides, hydroperoxides and protein carbonyls of diabetic rats. These results showed that carvacrol possess antioxidant property in addition to its antidiabetic effect in HFD/STZ-induced type 2 diabetic rats.
