Antioxidative Activities of Sanguisorba officinalis L. in Diabetic Rats

Abstract

Background: Sanguisorba officinalis has been used in traditional Asian medicine owing to its beneficial effects on various diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of S. officinalis on the antioxidant system of Streptozotocin (STZ) and Alloxan (ALL) induced diabetic rats. Methods and Results: Triglyceride and Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels decreased in the STZ-induced diabetic groups treated with S. officinalis extract (SOE) compared to the corresponding levels in the control groups. Moreover, in the ALLinduced diabetic groups, SOE reduced triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased significantly in the STZ and ALL-induced groups treated with SOE compared to the corresponding levels in the control group. Further, Glutathione (GSH) levels increased but did not reach statistical significance. The levels of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) showed a tendency to recover with SOE treatment in the STZ and ALL-induced diabetic groups. In addition, Catalase (CAT) levels in the SOE treatment group decreased significantly compared to those in the control group. Conclusions: These results suggest that SOE might be an effective agent in attenuating oxidative stress in diabetic patients by improving blood lipid profiles and inducing the anti-oxidative enzyme systems.