Green biosynthesis of berberine-mediated silver nanorods: Their protective and antidiabetic effects in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Abstract

Poor control of blood glucose levels remains a serious challenge for diabetic patients. Silver nanoparticles were employed as antidiabetic agents due to their unique biological capabilities in growing insulin levels in diabetic animal models. In this study, a cost-effective and eco-friendly process for the production of silver nanorods (AgNRs) is described, and berberine extract has been successfully employed as a capping and reduction agent using an innovative method of green chemistry. UV–vis spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies were employed to characterize AgNRs. The objective of the current research was to treat or avoid hyperglycemia in rats caused by streptozotocin. Therefore, 25 male albino rats were split into five categories: Healthy control rats; diabetic rats untreated; diabetic rats treated with Glimepiride as a standard drug; diabetic rats treated with AgNRs; rats treated with AgNRs before being streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The diabetic group getting AgNRs exhibited significantly lower fasting blood glucose (FBG) readings than the diabetic control group (p < 0.001). The effects of AgNRs were also tested on serum lipid profile levels, which serve as an important biomarker in diabetes. Significantly, Ag NRs were found to improve lipid metabolism in the diabetic rats' group (p < 0.001). Additionally, pre-treatment with AgNRs was found to maintain normal blood glucose and lipid profile levels in rats receiving streptozotocin (p < 0.001). Together, these findings show a novel potential protective and anti-diabetic impact, which may be applied in designing novel future therapies for treating DM.