Hypolipidemic, hepato-protective and renal damage recovering effects of catechin isolated from the methanolic extract of Cassia fistula stem bark on Streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats: a biochemical and morphological analysis

Abstract

Traditional systems of medicine and medicinal plants research are the most promising areas of research in the modern drug discovery technologies. Today, drugs have taken their roots from the phytoconstituents. This study is aimed at the establishment of the hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, and renal damage restoring efficacies of catechin isolated from Cassia fistula using bioassay guided fractionation on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male albino Wistar rats. Catechin was administered to STZ (60 mg/kg b. wt)-induced diabetic male Wistar rats at 20 mg/kg b. wt for 45 days. Plasma glucose level was significantly reduced when compared with the control. In addition, oral administration of catechin significantly decreased glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, urea, uric acid, and creatinine, and at the same time, markedly increased hemoglobin, HDL-cholesterol, and serum protein. Catechin also restored the altered plasma enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and acid phosphatase) levels to near normal. Histological studies reveal that oral administration of catechin recovered the hepatic and renal damages. Results of this experimental study indicated that catechin possessed hypolipidemic, hepato-protective, and renal damage restoring efficacies, and hence, this could be used as an oral drug for treating diabetes and related diseases.