title: Centaurium erythrea (Gentianaceae) leaf extract alleviates streptozotocin-induced oxidative stress and β-cell damage in rat pancreas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Centaurium erytrea is used in traditional medicine for treat urine retention, abdominal colic and diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible protective effects of Centaurium erythrea leaf extract (CE) against pancreas β-cells' damage and antioxidant defense systems in streptozotocin induced diabetes rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental diabetes was induced by a single dose of STZ (65 mg/kg) administered by intraperitoneal way. The oxidative stress was measured by tissue MDA levels, protein carbonyl (PCO) content, reduced glutathione (GSH) content and by enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in pancreas. Biochemical observations were further substantiated with histological examination of pancreas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The increase in blood glucose and MDA levels with the decrease in GSH content and in enzymatic activities were the salient features observed in diabetic rats. Administration of CE (200mg/kg bw/day, i.p) for 30 days caused a significant reduction in blood glucose and MDA levels in STZ treated rats when compared with diabetic rats. Furthermore, diabetic rats treated with CE leaf extract showed a significant increase in the activities of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants when compared to those of diabetic rats. Degenerative changes of pancreatic β-cells in STZ treated rats were minimized to near normal morphology by administration of CE leaf extract as evidenced by histopathological examination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results clearly indicate that Centaurium erythrea treatment exerts a therapeutic protective nature in diabetes by decreasing oxidative stress and pancreatic β-cells' damage which may be attributed to its antioxidative potential.
authors.affiliation: Animal Physiology Laboratory, UR/08-73, Sciences Faculty of Sfax, BP 1171, 3000 Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mediha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sefi
authors.forename: Hamadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fetoui
authors.forename: Nadya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lachkar
authors.forename: Adil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tahraoui
authors.forename: Badiaa
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lyoussi
authors.forename: Tahia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boudawara
authors.forename: Najiba
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zeghal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D029966:Centaurium / Q000737:chemistry*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013311:Streptozocin
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013311:Streptozocin