Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the effect of Scrophularia ningpoensis extract (SNE) on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.Methods: SNE was obtained by steeping the dried Scrophularia ningpoensis in water at 60 oC three times, each for 1 h, before first drying in an oven at 100 oC and then freeze-drying the last extract thus obtained. Diabetic rats were prepared by a single intraperitoneal injection of a freshly prepared solution of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg). The rats were randomly divided into 6 groups of ten rats each: negative control group, control group, reference group (glibenclamide1 mg/kgbody weight) as well as SNE groups, (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg). Blood glucose and plasma insulin levels were evaluated in order to determine antihyperglycemic effect. Oxidative stress was evaluated in liver and kidney by antioxidant markers, viz, lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT); blood serum levels of creatinine and urea were determined in both diabetic control and treated rats.Results: Compared with diabetic rats, oral administration of SNE at a concentration of 200 mg/kg daily for 30 days showed a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose to 120.21 ± 3.37 mg/dL (p < 0.05) and increased insulin level to 13.31 ± 0.67 uU/mL (p < 0.05). Furthermore, it significantly reduced biochemical parameters (serum creatinine, 0.86 ± 0.24 mg/dL, p < 0.05) and serum urea (41.86 ± 1.59 mg/dL, p < 0.05).Conclusion: The results suggest that SNE may effectively normalize impaired antioxidant status in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in a dose-dependent manner. SNE has a protective effect against lipid peroxidation by scavenging free radicals and is thus capable of reducing the risk of diabetic complications.Keywords: Scrophularia ningpoensis, Diabetic, Antihyperglycemic, Antioxidant Oxidative stress, Fasting blood glucose
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that manifests due to insulin insufficiency and/or insulin resistance and has become a serious health problem worldwide
The primary goals for the management of diabetes include the tight regulation of glucose levels in the blood and the prevention of diabetic complications [1]
The results indicated that the Scrophularia ningpoensis extract (SNE) (200 mg/kg) and glibenclamide (1 mg/kg) reduced blood glucose level significantly (p < 0.05) after 120 min of oral administration, when compared to diabetic control (Table 4)
Summary
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that manifests due to insulin insufficiency and/or insulin resistance and has become a serious health problem worldwide. The primary goals for the management of diabetes include the tight regulation of glucose levels in the blood and the prevention of diabetic complications [1]. The disease is a complex metabolic disorder of the endocrine system. It is characterized by high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) due to the inability of the body cells to utilize glucose properly [3]. The increased blood glucose levels in diabetes produce superoxide anions, which generate hydroxyl radicals via Haber–Weiss reaction, resulting in peroxidation of membrane lipids and protein glycation. This leads to oxidative damage of cell membranes. These radicals further damage other important biomolecules including carbohydrates, proteins and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) [4,5,6,7]
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