Effect of hydroalcoholic Allium ampeloprasum extract on oxidative stress, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Abstract

Allium ampeloprasum (AA) is a medicinal plant which is used in Iranian traditional medicine to treat or prevent different diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of AA extract on oxidative stress and dyslipidemia in diabetic rats induced by alloxan. In this experimental study, 60 male Wistar rats weighing 200–250 gr were randomly divided to five groups of 12 each including healthy control (group I), diabetic control (group II), metformin-treated diabetic positive control (group III) and two groups treated with doses 400 (group IV) and 800 (group V) mg/kg/BW of AA extracts. Diabetes mellitus was experimentally induced by injection of two doses of alloxan-120 and 65 mg/kg-within two consecutive days. Alloxan-induced diabetes caused significant increase in serum glucose, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in group II (p < 0.05). Furthermore, serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased significantly and liver catalase activity decreased significantly in the 2nd group compared to 1st control; respectively p = 0.0001 and p = 0.009. In the group IV has seen a significant decrease in serum TG (p = 0.01), TC (p = 0.0001), VLDL (p = 0.01), and MDA (p = 0.0001) levels and significant increase in the liver and kidney catalase activities of the rats compared to the group II; respectively p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0001. In Conclusion our results highlight potentially relevant health beneficial effects of AA extract which exerts hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and anti-oxidative stress effects in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes. Therefore, it may be considered as useful dietary supplements in diabetic patients.

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by increased blood glucose and disordered metabolism of sugars, lipids, and proteins [1]. Currently, over 6.3% of global populations are estimated to suffer diabetes mellitus [2]. Chronically increased blood glucose is the main cause of certain diseases such as angiopathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, weakened antioxidant defense system, metabolic disorders, and variations in lipids profile [3]. Diabetes is associated with fundamental changes in serum lipids profile and consequently increased risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease [4]. A number of studies demonstrated that alloxan or streptozocin-induced diabetes leads to dyslipidemia through increasing the levels of total cholesterol (TC), total triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and decreasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. Increased levels of serum lipids and decreased HDL due to diabetes mellitus increase the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease [10]. Dyslipidemia treatment in patients with diabetes requires precise control of blood glucose, exercise, and use of hypoglycemic foods and drugs [11]. Decreased levels of serum lipids by drugs or diet were reported to decrease the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease and other complications significantly [12], [13]. Some medicinal plants have already been reported to exert hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects in animal and clinical models [14]. Hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia cause increase in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and affect the anti-oxidative reactions of antioxidant enzymes. In vivo, endogenous antioxidants (both enzymatic and non-enzymatic) are responsible for eliminating ROS radicals. The levels of these antioxidants have been reported to decrease due to diabetes [11], [15]. Weakened antioxidant defense system and excessively produced ROS radicals cause cell damage and disturbed cell hemostasis through destroying the body's macromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates [16]. Certain plant-based compounds such as polyohenols, flavonoids, and tannins can exert antioxidant effects and protective effects against damage due to free radicals [17]. Allium ampeloprasum belongs to genus Allium and originally occurs in Central Asia and northern Europe. However, it may be cultivated in other regions of the world. A. ampeloprasum is a perennial bulbous plant used as an edible vegetable. This plant is used as an anti-asthma, antiseptic, diuretic, vasodilatory, and expectorant agent in Iranian traditional medicine [18]. From therapeutic perspective, A. ampeloprasum and its active compounds can exert antibacterial [19], antioxidant [20], and antifungal [21] effects, protect skin against damage due to pathogenic agents [22], alleviate gastrointestinal diseases [23], and inflammatory [24], hepatotoxicity [25]. Since no study has yet been conducted to investigate the effect of A. ampeloprasum extract on diabetes-induced oxidative stress, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of A. ampeloprasum extract on sugars and lipids profile and oxidative stress in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes.