Efficacy of Evolvulus alsinoides (L.) L. on insulin and antioxidants activity in pancreas of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats

AIM: Diabetes mellitus (DM), a leading non communicable disease with multiple etiologies is considered as third greatest cause of death in all over the world. During DM, persistent hyperglycemia causes an increased production of free radicals via auto oxidation of glucose and non-enzymatic protein glycation which may lead to disruption of cellular functions and oxidative damage to membranes. The present study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effect of Evolvulus alsinoides on antioxidant activity in pancreas of experimental diabetes. METHODS: The antioxidant activities were done by using standard protocols. For histopathological analysis, the pancreatic tissues of all experimental groups were fixed with 10% formalin for 24 hrs then the samples were stained with haemotoxylin-eosin for the microscopic observation. RESULTS: Oral administration of plant extract for 45 days resulted in significant antioxidant activity, increases the insulin level and also inhibits lipid peroxidation in pancreas of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. The histopathological studies showed the normal histology of pancreas after treatment with plant extract and glibenclamide. This study showed that the administration of Evolvulus alsinoides to streptozotocin induced diabetic rats improves the antioxidant activity and remodel the structure of pancreas due to the presence of secondary metabolites like phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids and glycosides in the ethanolic extract of plant material. CONCLUSION: From the present study, it can be concluded that the plant extract effectively reduced the oxidative stress induced by streptozotocin and potentially increased the insulin level. Hence, it can be used in the management of diabetes mellitus. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2251-6581-12-39) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.