Objective- Medicinal plants and their active constituents are frequently used components for treating hyperglycemia. In the present study, the effect of curcumin was investigated on acute hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia induced by ketamine-xylazine in rats. To explore the possible mechanism, yohimbine (an α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist) was also used.
Design- An experimental study.
Animals– Forty-eight healthy male Wistar rats. 
Procedures– Rats were divided into eight groups with six rats in each group to receive intraperitoneal injection of normal saline, oral administration of curcumin (12.5, 50 and 200 mg/kg), intraperitoneal injection of yohimbine (0.5 and 2 mg/kg), and oral administration of curcumin (12.5 mg/kg) plus intraperitoneal injection of yohimbine (0.5 mg/kg). After these treatments, ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally administered to all groups. Blood glucose concentration was measured at 60 and 5 min before and at, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after ketamine-xylazine injection. Serum insulin concentration was measured by ELISA kit at the end of experiment.
Results- Ketamin-xylazine increased blood glucose and decreased serum insulin. Curcumin lowered increased blood glucose and increased decreased serum insulin. Yohimbine prevented the hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia induced by ketamin-xylazine produced the same results as curcumin. Low doses of curcumin and yohimbine induced documented hypoglycemic and hyperinsulinemic effects.
Conclusion and Clinical Relevance- Based on the results, it is concluded that curcumin improves hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia induced by ketamine- xylazine and α2-adrenergic receptor may involve in this effect.