Chandra Anu, Mahdi Abbas Ali, Singh Raj Kumar, Mahdi Farzana, Chander Ramesh
Department of Biochemistry, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
J Med Food. 2008 Sep;11(3):506-12. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2007.0042.
In the present investigation we report the protective potential of some herbal hypoglycemic agents on antioxidant status and levels of metal ions in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, in vitro antioxidant activity of the herbs was also evaluated. Induction of diabetes mellitus in rats caused an increase in blood lipid peroxide levels that was associated with the reduced activity of red blood cell (RBC) antioxidant enzymes--namely, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase--along with depletion of plasma reduced glutathione (GSH) and copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, and selenium levels. Oral treatment of diabetic rats with Allium sativum, Azadirachta indica, Momordica charantia, and Ocimum sanctum extracts (500 mg/kg of body weight) not only lowered the blood glucose level but also inhibited the formation of lipid peroxides, reactivated the antioxidant enzymes, and restored levels of GSH and metals in the above-mentioned model. The herbal extracts (50-500 microg) inhibited the generation of superoxide anions (O(2)(-.)) in both enzymatic and nonenzymatic in vitro systems. These preparations also inhibited the ferrous-sodium ascorbate-induced formation of lipid peroxides in RBCs. The in vivo and in vitro protective effects of the above-mentioned herbal drugs were also compared with that of glibenclamide. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the above-mentioned herbal plants not only possess hypoglycemic properties, but they also decrease oxidative load in diabetes mellitus. Therefore, we propose that long-term use of such agents might help in the prevention of diabetes-associated complications. However, the extrapolation of these results to humans needs further in-depth study.
在本研究中，我们报告了一些草药降糖剂对链脲佐菌素诱导的糖尿病大鼠抗氧化状态和金属离子水平的保护潜力。此外，还评估了这些草药的体外抗氧化活性。大鼠糖尿病的诱导导致血脂过氧化物水平升高，这与红细胞（RBC）抗氧化酶（即超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化氢酶、谷胱甘肽还原酶和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶）活性降低有关，同时血浆还原型谷胱甘肽（GSH）以及铜、锌、铁、镁和硒水平也有所下降。用大蒜、印楝、苦瓜和罗勒提取物（500毫克/千克体重）对糖尿病大鼠进行口服治疗，不仅降低了血糖水平，还抑制了脂质过氧化物的形成，使抗氧化酶重新激活，并恢复了上述模型中GSH和金属的水平。草药提取物（50 - 500微克）在体外酶促和非酶促系统中均抑制了超氧阴离子（O₂⁻）的产生。这些制剂还抑制了抗坏血酸钠亚铁诱导的红细胞脂质过氧化物的形成。还将上述草药药物的体内和体外保护作用与格列本脲进行了比较。根据我们的结果，我们得出结论，上述草药植物不仅具有降血糖特性，还能降低糖尿病中的氧化负荷。因此，我们建议长期使用此类药物可能有助于预防糖尿病相关并发症。然而，将这些结果外推至人类需要进一步深入研究。
