title: Antioxidant and pancreas-protective effect of aucubin on rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.
abstract: Oxidative stress has been suggested as a contributory factor in development and complication of diabetes. The aim of the present study was to determine the protective effect of aucubin on lipid peroxidation and activities of antioxidant defense systems and to conduct immunohistochemical evaluation of pancreas in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Lipid peroxidation was determined by assessing the concentration of malondialdehyde and activities of antioxidant enzymes - catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in liver and kidneys of rats were determined. Changes of blood glucose and immunohistochemical evaluation on pancreas were also investigated as part of the pathology of diabetes. In our study, aucubin treatment lowered blood glucose. Diabetic rats exhibited an increase in the level of lipid peroxidation and decrease in activities of antioxidant enzymes in liver and kidneys as compared to control rats. Administration of aucubin to diabetic rats for 15 days significantly reversed damage associated with diabetes. In addition, diabetic rats showed an obvious decrease in insulin immunoreactivity and the number of beta cells in pancreas, but the pancreas of aucubin-treated rats were improved and the number of immunoreactive beta cells were significantly increased. These results indicated that aucubin may have value as a safe preventive or therapeutic agent against diabetes mellitus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Hong-Yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Li-Ji
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Shu-Ying
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002374:Catalase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005960:Glucosides / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D057888:Iridoid Glucosides; D039823:Iridoids / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D010179:Pancreas / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013311:Streptozocin; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001786:Blood Glucose; D005960:Glucosides; D057888:Iridoid Glucosides; D039823:Iridoids; D020011:Protective Agents; C006650:aucubin; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013311:Streptozocin; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase