title: Catechin Treatment Ameliorates Diabetes and Its Complications in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetes mellitus causes atherosclerosis and lipid abnormalities. Hypolipidemic and antioxidative properties of catechin (CTN) have been reported in several studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study assesses the possible protective effects of CTN against oxidative damage in the diabetic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The rats were divided into the control, untreated diabetic, and 3 CTN-treated diabetic groups (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg/d, intraperitoneal). The diabetic rats were induced by streptozotocin. Catechin was injected for 4 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, glucose, lipid profile, apoprotein A-I (apo A-I), apoprotein B (apo B), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and antioxidant enzymes including glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities were determined in serum. Statistical analyses were performed using the InStat 3.0 program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Streptozotocin caused an elevation of glucose, MDA, triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and apo B with reduction in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apo A-I, SOD, CAT, and GST in the serum (P< .05). The findings showed that the significant elevation in the body weight, glucose, MDA, TG, TC, LDL-C, and apo B and reduction in HDL-C, apo A-I, SOD, CAT, and GST were ameliorated in the CTN-treated diabetic groups versus the untreated group, in a dose-dependent manner (P< .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present investigation proposes that CTN may ameliorate diabetes and its complications by modification of oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samarghandian
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azimi-Nezhad
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunogenetics, Buali Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Tahereh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Farkhondeh
keywords: antidiabetic; apoprotein; green tea; hyperglycemia; oxidative indices