Objectives This study was designed to examine the in vitro inhibitory activities of vital enzymes related to diabetes mellitus and different biochemical parameters of Phoenix dactylifera fruit based-diet in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Methods The aqueous extract of P. dactylifera fruit based-diet was prepared and used for determination of in vitro antioxidants as well as α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities using standard procedures. Also, 30 albino rats were induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 150 mg/kg body weight of alloxan and grouped into A-D as normal rats placed on Dioscorea rotundata based-diet, diabetic control rats placed on D. rotundata based-diet, diabetic rats placed on D. rotundata based-diet and administered metformin orally per day, and diabetic rats placed on P. dactylifera fruit based-diet respectively. The animals were sacrificed on the fourth week of the experiment, and different biochemical parameters were evaluated. Results The P. dactylifera fruit based-diet extract demonstrated antioxidative potentials and inhibition against α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, diabetic rats placed on the P. dactylifera fruit based-diet revealed significant (p<0.05) increase in body weight, insulin and glycogen levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, GLUT 2 and high density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations when compared with the diabetic control group. Also, diabetic rats placed on P. dactylifera fruit based-diet indicate significant (p<0.05) reduction in fasting blood glucose, lipid peroxidation, cytokines levels, some gluconeogenesis enzyme activities, cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins and very low-density lipoproteins concentrations compared to the diabetic control animals. Conclusion This diet could be an alternative nutraceutical means of managing diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Keywords: in vitro; antioxidative; blood parameters.