The potential protective effect of aqueous extract of Acanthophyllum glandulosum root on Streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice

Abstract

Purpose: Treatment of diabetes using traditional medicine has attracted attention in recent decades because of its unique benefits. Acanthophyllum glandulosum is known as an herb with therapeutic potential. This research explored the likely protective effects of Acanthophyllum Glandulosum Root (AGR) in mice with Streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to provide complementary therapy.

Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single injection of Streptozotocin (STZ) in mice. STZ-diabetic mice were treated with oral dosages of AGR (25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) on different experiment days. During the experiment, the effect of a topical extract of AGR on Glucose level, serum lipid profile, and liver and kidney biomarkers, with the histopathological assessment of heart, kidney, spleen, and liver, were investigated. The gene expression level of inflammation biomarkers (Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 (IL-1)), apoptosis factor (Caspase3), glucose regulatory genes (Glucose transporter (GLUT) 4 and 2), and lipid regulatory gene (Adenosine 50-monophosphate protein-kinase (AMPK)) were investigated.

Results: Administration of AGR to STZ-diabetic mice decreased blood glucose level (p < 0.01), normalized the lipid profile (p < 0.01), improved the serum level of kidney (p < 0.01) and liver biomarkers (p < 0.01), and normalized Kidney hypertrophy (p < 0.01), inflammation (p < 0.001), and apoptosis (p < 0.01). The AGR effect was better at 100 mg/kg than Metformin (100 mg/kg) on healing T2DM condition in mice.

Conclusion: AGR possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-glycation activity, thus exhibiting a protective function in STZ-induced diabetic mice. Further in vitro and in vivo works are necessary, especially to elucidate the mechanism of action of AGR at the cellular and molecular levels.

Keywords: Acanthophyllum glandulosum root; Apoptosis; Diabetes Mellitus; Glucose; Inflammation; Lipid Metabolism.

Fig. 1

Effect of AGR and Metformin treatment on food intake of STZ-diabetic mice at weekdays 0, 4, 7, 21; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: Diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 2

Effect of AGR and Metformin treatment on a water intake level of STZ-diabetic mice at weekdays 0, 4, 7, 21; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: The diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 3

Effect of AGR and Metformin treatment on the Weight of STZ-diabetic mice at weekdays 0, 4, 7, 21; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: Diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 4

Effect of AGR and Metformin treatment on blood glucose level of STZ-diabetic mice at weekdays 0, 4, 7, 21; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: The diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 5

Relative mRNA level of GLUT2 following 21-day intervention with different concentration of AGR and Metformin in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: The diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 6

Relative mRNA level of GLUT4 following 21-day intervention with different concentration of AGR and Metformin in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: Diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 7

Relative mRNA level of AMPK following 21-day intervention with different concentration of AGR and Metformin in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: The diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 8

Relative mRNA level of IL-6 following 21-day intervention with different concentration of AGR and Metformin in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: The diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 9

Relative mRNA level of Caspas3 following 21-day intervention with different concentration of AGR and Metformin in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: Diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 10

Relative mRNA level of TNF-α following 21-day intervention with different concentration of AGR and Metformin in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001: Treatment group was compared with diabetic control; #p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 and ####p < 0.0001: Diabetic group compared with normal control; using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test

Fig. 11

Photomicrographs of kidney, heart, spleen, and liver (Haematoxylin and Eosin staining under a light microscope at 400 × magnifications)