ISSN: 2576-4772
Authors: Albaser NA*
Background: Despite the abundance of reports highlighting the negative health consequences allied with Khat chewing, a considerable number of individuals worldwide, particularly in its countries of origin, persist in using Khat on a daily basis. This presents a significant risk of co-administering Khat and drugs, thereby increasing the likelihood of adverse interactions between Khat and drugs. Hence, it is imperative to evaluate the effects of simultaneous usage of Khat and drugs. The current study primarily focused on empagliflozin, a sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor that has emerged as a prominent treatment for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by targeting SGLT-2 in the kidney. Aim: The present study aimed to assess the impact of administering Khat and empagliflozin together on dexamethasoneinduced hyperglycemia in rabbits. Methods and Materials: Thirty adult male rabbits weighing between 1-1.3kg were randomly divided into six groups, each consisting of five rabbits. During two weeks, dexamethasone (10 mg/kg) was administered orally to four groups continuously to induce hyperglycemia. Group I, which served as the control, received normal saline. Group II, however, received a Khat dose (1500 mg/kg). Group III consisted of diabetic rabbits who remained untreated and only received normal saline in an equivalent dosage. The fourth, fifth, and sixth groups of animals were treated with daily oral doses of Khat (1500mg/kg), empagliflozin (10 mg/kg), and a combination of both, respectively, to treat dexamethasone-induced hyperglycemia for two weeks. At the end of the experiment, samples of blood were gathered in the morning after an overnight fasting period. Results: The study findings revealed that both Khat (p <0.00) and empagliflozin (p <0.00) monotherapy significantly reduced hyperglycemia and body weight. However, the combination of Khat and empagliflozin was found as the most effective, surpassing the effects of Khat alone. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the combination of empagliflozin and Khat had a greater efficacy in reducing fasting blood glucose levels in comparison with the ordinary control group. However, caution should be exercised as this may potentially lead to hypoglycemia in Khat chewers who are also using empagliflozin as a medication.
Keywords: Catha edulis; Empagliflozin; Dexamethasone; Hyperglycemia
