Effect of Gundelia tournefortii extract on diabetic gastropathy: involvement of inflammation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and histopathology

Abstract

In this study, the effect of Gundelia tournefortii (GT) extract against diabetic gastropathy was investigated by pathological methods. The animal groups were designed as the control, diabetes, diabetes + GT50, diabetes + GT100, and diabetes + GT200 groups. No treatment was applied to the control group. The other groups received 45.00 mg kg^-1 streptozotocin intraperitoneally on the experimental day. The treatment groups were also given 50.00, 100, and 200 mg kg^-1 of GT extract daily by gavage for 21 days. Tissues were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin for histopathological examination. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to reveal the presence of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor alpha), apoptosis (cysteine aspartate specific proteases-3), and oxidative stress (heat shock protein-27). Histopathological examination revealed no pathological lesion in the control group. In the diabetes group, mucosal tissue damage, and vascular and inflammatory changes were observed. In the treatment groups, GT decreased histopathological findings in parallel with the dose increase. Immunohistochemical examination revealed no immunopositivity in the control group, while severe immunopositivity was observed in the diabetes groups in terms of inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. In the treatment groups, there was a decrease in the severity of immunopositivity's depending on the dose increase. As a result of this study, which has not been done before, GT was found to have a protective effect against gastropathy, being an important complication of diabetes, and this study is thus an important reference point for future research and promises new hope for the patients.

Keywords: Cysteine aspartate specific proteases-3; Diabetes; Gundelia tournefortii; Heat shock protein-27; Tumor necrosis factor alpha.

Fig. 1

Histopathological findings of the study groups (Hematoxylin and Eosin staining; Bars = 200 µm). A) Control group with normal histological appearance; B) Diabetes group exhibiting degenerative-necrotic changes (hollow arrowheads), desquamation (thick arrow), erosive-ulcerative lesions (thin arrows), sub-mucosal edema (hollow arrow), and inflammatory cell infiltration (arrowhead); C) Diabetes + GT50 group showing necrosis and desquamation of mucosal epithelium (hollow arrowheads), degeneration of epithelial cells (arrow), inter-cellular edema in mucosa (hollow arrow), and inflammatory cell infiltration in sub-mucosa (arrowhead); D) Diabetes + GT100 group having degenerative and necrotic changes in mucosal epithelium (arrowhead) and edema in mucosa and sub-mucosa (hollow arrows); E) Diabetes + GT200 group with histological appearance close to the control group. GT: Gundelia tournefortii.

Fig. 2

Immunohistochemical findings of the study groups (Immunohistochemistry staining; Bars = 100 µm). A) Control group being negative for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression; B) Diabetes group having severe TNF-α expression (hollow arrowheads); C) Diabetes + GT50 group with moderate TNF-α expression (hollow arrowheads); D) Diabetes + GT100 group with mild TNF-α expression (hollow arrowheads); E) Diabetes + GT200 group having very low TNF-α expression; F) Control group being negative for cysteine aspartate specific proteases-3 (CASP-3) expression; G) Diabetes group having severe CASP-3 expression (hollow arrowheads); H) Diabetes + GT50 group with moderate CASP-3 expression (hollow arrowheads); I) Diabetes + GT100 group with mild CASP-3 expression (hollow arrowheads); J) Diabetes + GT200 group having very little CASP-3 expression; K) Control group being negative for heat shock protein-27 (HSP-27) expression; L) Diabetes group having severe HSP-27 expression (hollow arrowheads); M) Diabetes + GT50 group with moderate HSP-27 expression (hollow arrowheads); N) Diabetes + GT100 group with mild HSP-27 expression (hollow arrowheads); O) Diabetes + GT200 group having very little HSP-27 expression, Immunohistochemistry. GT: Gundelia tournefortii.