The study of hypoglycemic effects of the Morus alba L. leave extract and histology of the pancreatic islet cells in diabetic and normal rats

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the hypoglycemic effects and histological changes of pancreatic islets after receiving Morus alba leave extract in normal and diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 45 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. All diabetic rats were divided into 5 groups, each of which was orally received one of the following; vehicle, glibenclamide and leave extract (150, 300 and 600 mg/kg) for 12 days. The results showed that the leave extract at the doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg significantly (p \< 0.05) reduced blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. Moreover, the study of Morus alba leave extract in decreasing of acute hyperglycemic effect was undertaken by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) which revealed that the leave extract could not reduce blood glucose levels in acute hyperglycemia in both diabetic and normal rats. The histological examination of pancreas showed that all doses of leave extract could recover the damaged islet cells in diabetic rats in a dose dependent manner. The pancreatic islets of diabetic rats receiving the extract were larger and the cells within the islets were rounder and less congestive when compared to diabetic control rats. Conclusion, the results of this study suggested that Morus alba leave extract could reduce blood glucose levels and improve the histological features of pancreatic islets in diabetic rats.