Hypoglycemic Effects of Apigenin from Morus Indica in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

Abstract

Introduction: Morus Indica L occupies an important position in the holistic system of Indian medicine ‘Ayurveda’ which has its roots in antiquity and has been followed for centuries. Objective: Methods: The hypoglycemic potential of apigenin isolated from MI leaves in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats was studied. The rats were divided into four groups (n=6 animals in each group) viz. Group I- Normal healthy control rats (NC); Group II- STZ-induced diabetic control (DC) rats without treatment; Group III- STZ-induced diabetic rats treated with Aminoguanidine (AG) (30 mg kg-1 body weight by intraperitoneal); Group IV- STZ-induced diabetic rats treated with Apigenin (API) (50 mg kg-1 body weight was given by orally). The protective effect of API was evaluated by determining the biochemical parameters (lipid profile, liver, and kidney) and by studying the histopathological alterations in liver and kidney. Results: Diabetic control group had altered biochemical values (lipid profile, liver and kidney) when compared with the NC group. However, treatment with API showed significant improvement in the biochemical parameters and values are comparable to the NC group. Histopathological data revealed destruction of the kidney and liver architecture in DC, which was reverted in the group treated with API. Conclusions: The present findings suggest that API might be useful in the management of diabetes mellitus.