Abstract
Diabetes is a systemic disease that produces alterations in cardiac and renal function. The treatments used today only slow the progression of the tissue damage, for this reason we have begun to study a complementary treatment with extracts of medicinal plants. Boldine, an alkaloid from Boldo, has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic effects. In addition it can block connexin hemichannels (HCs). Therefore, we propose that treatment with Boldine could prevent changes that occur in the diabetic condition. Sprague-Dawley male rats were made diabetic with streptozotocin. After 5 weeks, rats were subdivided into 2 subgroups: one received water and the other received Boldine in the drinking water for 10 weeks. Blood pressure, kidney damage, skeletal muscle fiber- ethidium(ETD) uptake and cardiac work in isolated hearts were evaluated in diabetic and control rats. In diabetic rats, we observed an increase in blood pressure and ETD-uptake by connexin-HCs and also a decreased in cardiac workload. In kidneys from the diabetic rats we also observed increased levels of collagen III and α-SMA, markers of tissue damage. In contrast, in diabetic rats treated with Boldine values of all the above measured parameters were comparable to controls. These results suggest that Boldine prevents some of the alterations observed in diabetes. FONDEF D07I1086 and Anillo ACT71
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