THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF HYDROALCOHOLIC AND AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF BERBERIS VULGARIS FRUITS IN STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCED TYPE 1 DIABETES MELLITUS RATS

Abstract

Background and Aims: To evaluate and compare the beneficial effects of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of Berberis vulgaris fruit in streptozotocin (STZ) induced type I diabetes mellitus (DM). Materials and Methods: Forty male rats were allocated into 4 groups as negative control (NC), positive control (PC), aqueous extract (AE), and hydroalcoholic extract (HE). DM was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) and three days later, the AE and HE groups received 200 mg/kg extracts orally for 30 days. The serum liver enzymes plus glucose level and concentration of HbA1c three days after STZ injection and at day 30 and liver histopathology at the end of the study were analyzed. Results: PC and both treatments groups had higher serum glucose levels in comparison to NC group (P<0.05). Higher serum alanine aminotransferase activities in both AE and HE groups in comparison to PC group (P=0.005 and P=0.045, respectively) and lower percentage of HbA1c in NC and HE groups in comparison to PC group (P=0.001 and P=0.014, respectively) were detected. Conclusion: Noticing the beneficial effects of B. vulgaris, the extract of this plant can be a good choice attenuating the side effects of DM.