2.9. Study animals

Swiss albino mice of either sex, weighing 25–30 g, 6–8 weeks, were used for the antihyperglycemic study. They were procured from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) and housed in appropriate cages with wood flakes bedding. The mice were allowed to acclimatize for 2 weeks in standard laboratory conditions and were maintained at 25°C ± 2°C temperature, 55%–60% relative humidity, and 12 h light/dark cycle. They had access to water and feed ad libitum. The feed was formulated by authorities of ICCDR,B. The animals were randomly divided into five groups (normal control, diabetic control, and three experimental groups), each group consisting of five mice (n = 5). The normal and diabetic control groups received oral treatment of vehicle (physiological saline). The positive control and experimental groups were orally treated (p.o) with metformin and MEPS, respectively. The experimental mice starved from feed for 12 h but had free access to water before experiments. The tests were performed between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m., and the investigators had no information about the experimental groups.