Introduction : Diabetes is a major cause of patients’ loss of ability and hospitalization. Ziziphora clinopodioides lam belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is widely used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus due to its hypoglycemic properties. In the present study , we aimed to evaluate the effects of the hydroalcoholic extracts of Ziziphora clinopodioides lam on active pancreatic beta cells in streptozotocin-diabetic rats .

  Methodology : In order to determine the number of active pancreatic beta cells, the rats were anesthetized by diethyl ether after treatment with the extracts. The pancreas was removed from the rats and fixated in 4% formaldehyde afterwards, the pancreas was prepared for sectioning, using paraffin. Three-micron sections were prepared from the samples, and the number of active beta cells was evaluated by an immunocytochemistry kit.

  Results : The results showed that the hydroalcoholic extracts of Ziziphora clinopodioides lam (100 , 150 , 200 and 300 mg/kg) increased the number of beta cells and insulin secretion in diabetic rats, compared to control diabetic rats. In other words, this plant could effectively increase the activity of beta cells in diabetic rats, compared to control rats. Therefore, Ziziphora clinopodioides lam could reduce serum glucose level in diabetic animals by increasing insulin secretion .

  Conclusion : According to the results, the hydroalcoholic extract of Ziziphora clinopodioides lam had hypoglycemic effects in streptozotocin-diabetic rats by stimulating insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells. Therefore, based on the obtained findings, the traditional application of this plant may be confirmed.