Attenuation of lipid metabolic abnormalities, proinflammatory cytokines, and matrix metalloproteinase expression by biochanin-A in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats.

In the present study, we assessed the therapeutic potential of Biochanin-A (BCA) (10 mg/kg BW/day) pretreatment for 30 days on lipid metabolic abnormalities, proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinase expression in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. We measured the potential role of BCA on tissue and circulatory lipid profiles as well as on lipid metabolic enzymes: serum inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and MCP1) and serum Matrix Metalloproteinases (particularly, MMP-2 and MMP-9) together with mRNA expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, MMP-2 and MMP-9 by RT-PCR analysis. Administration of ISO to rats significantly distorted their lipid metabolism and augmented inflammatory process, MMP expression and proteolytic activity. In addition, pretreatment with BCA of ISO-induced MI rats significantly reestablished the altered lipid metabolism and concealed the inflammation of cytokines. BCA suppressed the expressions of proinflammatory cytokines and MMPs in ISO-induced MI in rats when compared to normal untreated MI rats. Hence, these results established that BCA could improve the pathological processes of myocardial remodeling which was confirmed by histopathology of heart in MI rats and might be an effective beneficial ingredient for the management of heart failure disorders.

Monitoring the decolourisation efficacy of advanced membrane fabricated phytosilica nanoparticles in textile effluent water treatment.

Silica nanoparticles are generally mesoporous that are predominant in the sand and rocks. Silica nanoparticles have a wide range of applications in various fields such as medicine, waste management, effluent treatment and electronics. The present work has explored the synthesis of silica nanoparticles through acid and alkaline leaching method from Pedalium murex which is a common weed that is found in southern parts of Tamil Nadu. Silica nanoparticles (SiNps) and its functional groups were confirmed by EDX and FTIR analysis with their respective energy dispersion levels and wavenumbers. Size, shape and morphological features of SiNps were analysed by PSA, TEM and SAED analysis. Synthesised and characterized nanosilica was crosslinked over nylon-66 and cellulose nitrate membranes and were confirmed by FTIR analysis for their crosslinking with SiNps. Water retention activity of the crosslinked and non crosslinked membranes was analysed by contact angle measurement to ensure the receptability of the membranes to remove contaminants by the adsorption. The decolourisation efficiency of the crosslinked nylon 66 membrane was found as a potential source for the treatment with 65.5% colour reduction when compared with other membranes. A slight reduction of solid profiles and COD ranges were achieved for crosslinked membranes than non crosslinked membranes.

Antitumor effect of proanthocyanidin induced apoptosis in human colorectal cancer (HT-29) cells and its molecular docking studies.

Proanthocyanidin (PAC) is a promising compound that has displayed its potent antineoplastic properties with a specific intrinsic pathway. This precise us to explore the phyto-preventive effect of PAC against colon cancer (HT-29). The results showed that PAC inhibited the cell growth and GI50 value was found to be 6.25 µM for 24 h exposure, when correlated to the normal cell line does not have toxicity was noticed. The linguistic differences, similarly membrane blebbing, cell shrinkage fragmented nuclear bodies and mitochondrial membrane were observed in AO/EtBr and DAPI staining. The features of regular mechanical apoptotic characterization was analyzed by DNA fragmentation. The cell cycle arrest at G2/M phases was detected using FACS analysis. The early and late apoptotic cells were observed by using Annexin V/PI staining. The ligand-protein interaction and docking studies were performed using Schrodinger's software. The QPLD analysis of docking studies revealed that PAC exhibited better binding affinity of - 5.23, - 5.17 and - 4.43, - 4.47 kcal/mol against BCL-XL, CDK2 and were compared with 5-FU respectively, which significantly reveals the anticancerous activity of Proanthocyanidin compound. Thus, the PAC compound provides future application of therapeutic option in the treatment of colon cancers.

Plasma treated fabrics coated with naturally derived Ag-NPs for biomedical application.

Ethnic value of many known plants are underexploited for medicinal application besides their proven traditional qualities. One such plant known for wound healing is Tridax procumbens. This plant has wound healing property and is commercially unexploited. Silver nanoparticle (Ag-NP) were synthesized using this plant extracts using different solvents (methanol, ethyl acetate and aqueous), which exhibit resonance at 426, 424 and 418 nm, respectively. This plant-mediated Ag-NPs have strong anti-bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumonia, Serratia marcescens and Bacillus subtilis with methanol extract. Further instance, elemental composition was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and particle size ranges were observed at 80-200 nm with spherical shape nanoparticles by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The biocompatibility of Ag-NPs was assessed using fibroblast cell line (L929) by MTT assay with 109.35 µg IC50 value. The oxygen plasma treated and non-treated bamboo spunlaced nonwoven fabrics were coated with the Ag-NPs by exhaust method. Contact angle and water retention revealed significant difference in absorption ability of plasma treated fabric. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of Ag-NPs in plasma coated fabrics. The fabricated cloth was studied for anti-microbial and microbial penetration ability.

Mitochondrial dysfunction mediated apoptosis of HT-29 cells through CS-PAC-AgNPs and investigation of genotoxic effects in zebra (Danio rerio) fish model for drug delivery.

The present study reports the validation of cancer nanotherapy using proanthocyanidin (PAC). Nowadays, in vitro and in vivo deliveries of nanoparticle (NPs) drugs have been paid more attention, intensively. Moreover, the current chemotherapeutic drugs have few first rate drawbacks including lack of specificity and requirement of excessive drug doses. To overcome this problem of chemotherapy, the attainment of high drug loading in combination with degradable polymer nanoparticles (for instance,chitosan) is a trending research in cancer biology. Hence, in this study, the synthesized PAC-AgNPs were successfully crosslinked with chitosan nanoparticles (CS-PAC-AgNPs), which were found to be spherical or polygonal in shape with a median size of 70.68 nm and 52.16 nm as observed by FTIR, FESEM and TEM analysis; thus, being suitable for drug delivery. CS-PAC-AgNPs were taken up via endocytosis by cancer cells and enabled the release cytochrome-C from mitochondria, followed by dysregulation of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 family, inducing the apoptotic mediated activation of caspase 9 and 3. To identify the genotoxicity of the synthesized CS-PAC-AgNPs, the mortality, hatching rate, malformation and abnormalities of embryo/larvae of the vertebrate zebra fish model (Danio rerio) were observed in a dose-time-dependent manner. This improved cancer nanotherapy can thus be utilized as a novel nanocombination for inducing apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.

Biosynthesised silver and copper nanoformulation as foliar spray to control bird's eye spot disease in tea plantations.

Tea leaves have economic importance in preparation of the popular beverage of the world "tea". Bird's eye spot disease of tea leaves creates significant revenue loss in tea trade of many tea plant cultivating countries. Management of this disease by silver (AgNps) and copper (CuNps) nanoparticles that are biosynthesised by efficient antagonists was studied. The biocontrol agents like Pseudomonas fluorescens, Trichoderma atroviride and Streptomyces sannanensis were evaluated for nanoparticle synthesis against Cercospora theae isolates namely KC10, MC24 and VC38. Initially, the freshly prepared extracellular AgNps showed high disease control (59.42 - 79.76%), but the stability of antagonistic property in stored nanoparticles were significantly high in CuNps (58.71 - 73.81%). Greenhouse studies on various treatments imposed also showed reduced disease incidence percentage of 13.4, 7.57 and 10.11% when treated with CuNps synthesized by P. fluorescens, T. atroviride and S. sannanensis respectively. Various treatment schedule in fields suggested the use of Bionanocopper@1.5 ppm for highest yield (3743 kg/ha) with 66.1% disease prevention. The results suggest the use of biosynthesised CuNps using Streptomyces sannanensis for controlling the tea plant pathogens causing foliar disease with higher stability in releasing the antagonistic activity during sporadic disease incidence of bird's eye spot disease in tea plants.

Biosynthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles using Trichoderma atroviride for the biological control of Phomopsis canker disease in tea plants.

The biological way of metallic nanoparticles production using ecofriendly biocontrol agents are largely used to control many plant pathogenic microorganisms in agriculture. Hence, an attempt was made to evaluate the potential of suppressive activity of nanoparticles produced by an indigenous isolate, Trichoderma atroviride against a tea pathogenic fungus namely Phomopsis theae. The presence of biosynthesised nanoparticles was primarily confirmed through ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy analysis and was characterised using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis to delineate the size, shape and nature of particles. Further, Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed the functional biomolecules responsible for capping and stabilisation of nanoparticles. In addition, culture filtrate containing nanoparticles was subjected to invitro antifungal studies which revealed a considerable suppression on the growth of P. theae. The biosynthesised nanoparticles were found to be active even after 3 months which established and confirmed the stability. Finally, field experiments conducted with soil application and wound dressing of nanoparticles exhibited a significant reduction in canker size when plants treated with gold followed by silver nanoparticles. Similarly, improvement in leaf yield was noted in response to these treatments. The above study confirmed the efficacy of metallic nanoparticles in management of stem disease in tea plantation.

Antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of Tecoma stans against lung cancer cell line (A549)

ABSTRACT Human have been constantly using plants and plant products to overcome many diseases. The antioxidant property of the plant sources is studied to obtain an efficacious drug against cancer. The objectives of the present study is to evaluate the antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of the Tecoma stans extracts against lung cancer cell line in comparison with vincristine drug. The antioxidant activity was studied using the standard DPPH assay and the cytotoxic activity using MTT assay. DPPH assay results show that methanolic extract of T. stans in higher concentration show better antioxidant potential than the standard L-ascorbic acid. They exhibited strong antioxidant potential at 20 µg/mL concentration. The absorbance at 517 nm showed that in the range of 0.201-0.0203 compared to that of absorbance of ascorbic acid at 0.023.Cytotoxic activity was studied using MTT assay which showed that the increase in concentration of extract increases the cell death. At 100µg/mL concentration there is an increased cytotoxic activity, i.e., 99% of cell inhibition. The results of antioxidant and anticancerous activity may be positively correlated.

Ameliorative potential of Solanum trilobatum leaf extract and fractions on lipid profile and oxidative stress in experimental diabetes.

Solanum trilobatum Linn is a medicinal plants used in India from many centuries to cure various diseases. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the ameliorative potential of the ethanolic leaf extract and fractions of Solanum trilobatum (St) against alloxan induced diabetic rats. Solanum trilobatum leaf extract and fractions were administered orally at two different concentration (100-200mg/kg body weight) to alloxan induced diabetic rats. The antidiabetic efficacy was validated through various biochemical parameters, enzyme assays, renal markers and antioxidant properties were also determined. The phytochemical analyses of St leaves were done by estimating their Chlorophyll, carotenoids, total sugar, protein, amino acid and minerals contents. The results revealed that the leaf extracts and fractions of St were efficient anti hyperglycemic agents and posses potent nephro-protective activity. However, the extracts of St leaves at a concentration of 200mg/kg bw exhibit higher efficacy in all tested concentrations. From the result it can be concluded that the leaf extracts of St can be a potential candidate in treating the hyperglycemic conditions and justifies its use in ethano medicine and can be exploits in the management of diabetes.

Diosgenin reorganises hyperglycaemia and distorted tissue lipid profile in high-fat diet-streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is often connected with significant morbidity, mortality and also has a pivotal role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Diet intervention, particularly naturaceutical antioxidants have anti-diabetic potential and avert oxidative damage linked with diabetic pathogenesis. The present study investigated the effects of diosgenin, a saponin from fenugreek, on the changes in lipid profile in plasma, liver, heart and brain in high-fat diet-streptozotocin (HFD-STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diosgenin was administered to HFD-STZ induced diabetic rats by orally at 60 mg kg(-1) body weight for 30 days to assess its effects on body weight gain, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids and phospholipids in plasma, liver, heart and brain. RESULTS: The levels of body weight, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, VLDL-C and LDL-C were increased significantly (P < 0.05) whereas HDL-C level decreased in the HFD/STZ diabetic rats. Administration of diosgenin to HFD-STZ diabetic rats caused a decrease in body weight gain, blood glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and also it modulated lipid profile in plasma and tissues. CONCLUSION: The traditional plant fenugreek and its constituents mediate its anti-diabetic potential through mitigating hyperglycaemic status, altering insulin resistance by alleviating metabolic dysregulation of lipid profile in both plasma and tissues.

Modulatory effects of diosgenin on attenuating the key enzymes activities of carbohydrate metabolism and glycogen content in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: Fenugreek and its active compound diosgenin are ancient herbal medicines recommended by the World Health Organization. In this study, the effect of diosgenin on changes in carbohydrate metabolic enzymes and glycogen content in muscle and kidneys of streptozotocin-induced diabetes rats were evaluated. METHODS: Diabetes was induced in male albino Wistar rats by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin. The diosgenin at different doses (15, 30 and 60 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally to normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats for 45 days. RESULTS: Streptozotocin intoxication led to a significant increase (p<0.05) in blood glucose and a decrease in insulin levels. The carbohydrate metabolic enzymes and glycogen content were also altered. The daily oral administration of diosgenin at different doses (15, 30 and 60 mg/kg body weight) to diabetic rats for 45 days resulted a significant (p<0.05) decline in blood glucose level and a significant increase in plasma insulin level. The altered activities of carbohydrate metabolic key enzymes in muscle and kidneys of diabetic rats were significantly (p<0.05) reverted to near normal level by the administration of diosgenin. The obtained results were compared with glibenclamide, a standard oral hypoglycemia drug. CONCLUSIONS: The modulatory effects of diosgenin on attenuating the activities of carbohydrate metabolic enzymes afford a promise for persistent use for the treatment of diabetes in the future, even though clinical studies to evaluate this possibility may be warranted.

Anti-obesity action of gingerol: effect on lipid profile, insulin, leptin, amylase and lipase in male obese rats induced by a high-fat diet.

BACKGROUND: Obesity represents a rapidly growing threat to the health of populations and diet intervention has been proposed as one of the strategies for weight loss. Ginger and its constituents have been used for their anti-flatulent, expectorant and appetising properties and they are reported to possess gastro-protective and cholesterol-lowering properties. The present study investigated the effects of gingerol on the changes in body weight, serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and lipid profile in plasma and liver as well as on the activity of amylase, lipase and leptin in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats. RESULTS: HFD-induced obese rats were treated orally with gingerol (25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1) ) once daily for 30 days. A lorcaserin-treated group (10 mg kg(-1) ) was included for comparison. The levels of body weight, glucose, lipid profile and insulin, insulin resistance, leptin, amylase and lipase were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in HFD rats. Rats treated with gingerol and fed a HFD showed significantly (P < 0.05) decreased glucose level, body weight, leptin, insulin, amylase, lipase plasma and tissue lipids when compared to normal control. The effect at a dose of 75 mg kg(-1) of gingerol was more pronounced than that of the dose 25 mg kg(-1) and 50 mg kg(-1) . The lorcaserin-treated group also manifested similar effects to those of gingerol. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that ginger supplementation suppresses obesity induced by a high fat diet and it might be a promising adjuvant therapy for the treatment of obesity and its complications.

Effect of S-allylcysteine, a sulphur containing amino acid on iron metabolism in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.

It is suggested that iron may play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Iron is not only chaperoned through its essential functional pathways, but it also causes damage to biological systems by catalyzing the production of reactive oxygen species. So, the parenchymal tissues of several organs are subject to cell injury and functional insufficiency due to excess deposition of iron. The present study investigated the effects of S-allylcysteine (SAC), a sulphur containing amino acid derived from garlic on the changes in iron metabolism induced by oxidative stress in tissues, as well as on serum biochemical parameters of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. SAC was administered orally for 45days to control and experimental diabetic rats. The effects of SAC on glucose, insulin, serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, serum bilirubin, heart heme oxygenase activity (HO) and δ-aminolevulinicacid dehydratase activity (δ-ALA-D) in liver and kidneys were studied. The levels of glucose, iron, ferritin, bilirubin and HO in liver were increased significantly (p<0.05) whereas the levels of insulin, transferrin and δ-ALA-D in tissues were decreased in diabetic rats. Administration of SAC to diabetic rats showed a decrease in blood glucose, iron, ferritin, bilirubin and HO. In addition, the levels of insulin, transferrin and δ-ALA-D activity in tissues were increased in SAC treated diabetic rats. These findings suggest that S-allylcysteine could have a protective effect against alterations in oxidative stress induced iron metabolism in the diabetic state which was evidenced by the capacity of this natural antioxidant to modulate parameters of iron metabolism.

S-allylcysteine Improves Streptozotocin-Induced Alterations of Blood Glucose, Liver Cytochrome P450 2E1, Plasma Antioxidant System, and Adipocytes Hormones in Diabetic Rats.

BACKGROUND: S-allylcysteine, a garlic derivative, could have a protective effect against pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVES: Sustained free radical generation and oxidative damage to system leads to the final conclusion phase of diabetes and also it coexists with a constant diminution in the antioxidant status.The present study aims to evaluate the therapeutic effects of S-allylcysteine (SAC) against adipocytes hormones and antioxidant defense systems of plasma and erythrocytes of treptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diabetic rats were administered SAC (150 mg/kg b.w) orally for 45 days. At 46(th) day, the rats were anesthetized, and blood and liver sample were collected for analyzing glucose, plasma insulin, CYP2E1 activity, Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), hydroperoxide, enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants, reduced glutathione (GSH), ceruloplasmin, plasma leptin, and adiponectin. RESULTS: The levels of glucose, CYP2E1 activity, Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), hydroperoxide, and ceruloplasmin were increased significantly; whereas, the levels of plasma insulin, reduced glutathione, enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants, leptin and adiponectin were decreased in experimental diabetic rats. Administration of SAC to diabetic rats led to a decrease in the levels of glucose, CYP2E1 activity, TBARS, and ceruloplasmin. In addition, the levels of plasma insulin, enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants leptin and adiponectin were increased in SAC treated diabetic rats. Gliclazide, a standard drug for diabetes, was used for the comparative purpose. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present investigation suggest that SAC could be used as a food supplement in the treatment of diabetes characterized by provoked antioxidant status, altered blood glucose, and hormones level.

Antidiabetic effect of S-allylcysteine: effect on thyroid hormone and circulatory antioxidant system in experimental diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: It is considered that diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease are the two common endocrine disorders and also suggested that insulin and thyroid hormones influence each other actions. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of the administration of S-allylcysteine (SAC), a sulfur containing amino acid derived from garlic on blood glucose, insulin, HbA1C, total protein, albumin, Thyroid hormone (T3, T4), TSH, TBARS and circulatory antioxidant levels (SOD, CAT, GSH and GPx) in STZ-induced diabetic rats. METHODS: SAC was administered orally for 45 days to control and STZ induced diabetic rats. The effects of SAC on glucose, plasma insulin, HbA1C, total protein, albumin, Thyroid hormone, TSH and circulatory antioxidant levels were studied. RESULTS: The levels of glucose, TBARS, hydroperoxide and HbA1C were increased significantly whereas the levels of plasma insulin, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, GSH, GPx, total protein, albumin, Thyroid hormone and TSH were decreased in STZ induced diabetic rats. Administration of SAC to diabetic rats showed a decrease in plasma glucose, TBARS, hydroperoxide and HbA1C. In addition, the levels of plasma insulin, SOD, CAT, GPx, GSH, total protein, albumin, Thyroid hormone and TSH were increased in SAC treated diabetic rats. The effect of SAC was compared with gliclazide, a well-known antioxidant and antihyperglycemic drug. CONCLUSION: From these findings, it is indicated that SAC might be acting through activation in the synthesis and/or secretion of circulating thyroid hormones which in turn stimulate the synthesis of insulin.

Amaranthus viridis Linn., a common spinach, modulates C-reactive protein, protein profile, ceruloplasmin and glycoprotein in experimental induced myocardial infarcted rats.

BACKGROUND: Glycoprotein is one of the components of the cardiac extracellular matrix and plays an important role in cardiac remodelling during various cardiac diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI). This study was aimed at evaluating the preventive role of Amaranthus viridis Linn. on C-reactive protein (CRP), total protein, albumin, globulin, ceruloplasmin and glycoproteins in the serum and heart of experimental induced myocardial infarcted (MI) rats. RESULTS: MI was induced in male Wistar rats by subcutaneous injection of 20 mg kg(-1) isoproterenol (ISO) kg(-1) body weight (BW) twice at an interval of 24 h. ISO-induced MI rats showed a significant increase in the levels of serum CRP and ceruloplasmin and a significant decrease in the levels of serum total protein, albumin and globulin. Glycoprotein levels in the serum and heart were increased in ISO-induced MI rats. Oral administration of 300 mg A. viridis kg(-1) BW day(-1) for a period of 45 days altered the metabolic derangement in ISO-induced MI rats. CONCLUSION: This study exemplifies the protective effect of A. viridis on ISO-induced cardiotoxicity in male Wistar rats. The data further reinforce the cardioprotective effect of A. viridis by altering CRP and glycoprotein levels.

Ameliorative potential of S-allylcysteine: effect on lipid profile and changes in tissue fatty acid composition in experimental diabetes.

Hyperlipidemia is an associated complication of diabetes mellitus. The association of hyperglycemia with an alteration of lipid parameters presents a major risk for cardiovascular complications in diabetes. The present study was designed to examine the antihyperlipidemic effect of S-allylcysteine (SAC) in STZ induced diabetic rats. The levels of blood glucose, cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids, phospholipids and fatty acid composition were estimated in the liver and kidneys of control and experimental groups of rats. Oral administration of SAC at a dose of 150 mg/kg bodyweight per day to STZ-induced diabetic rats for a period of 45 days resulted in a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose, TC, TG, free fatty acids, phospholipids, LDL-C, VLDL-C and elevation of HDL-C in comparison with diabetic control group. Oral administration of SAC to diabetic rats also decreased the concentrations of fatty acids, viz., palmitic, stearic (16:1), and oleic acid (18:1), whereas linolenic (18:3) and arachidonic acid (20:4) were elevated. The antihyperlipidemic effect of SAC was compared with glyclazide; a well-known antihyperglycemic drug. The result of the present study indicates that SAC showed an antihyperlipidemic effect in addition to its antidiabetic effect in experimental diabetes.

Ameliorative potential of S-allyl cysteine on oxidative stress in STZ induced diabetic rats.

Increased oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defense mechanism are important factors in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes mellitus and other oxidant-related diseases. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible protective effects of S-allyl cysteine (SAC) against oxidative stress in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. SAC was administered orally for 45 days to control and STZ induced diabetic rats. The effects of SAC on glucose, plasma insulin, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), hydroperoxide, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and GSH/GSSG ratio were studied. The levels of glucose, TBARS, hydroperoxide, and GSSG were increased significantly whereas the levels of plasma insulin, reduced glutathione, GSH/GSSG ratio, superoxide dismutase, catalase and GPx were decreased in STZ induced diabetic rats. Administration of SAC to diabetic rats showed a decrease in plasma glucose, TBARS, hydroperoxide and GSSG. In addition, the levels of plasma insulin, superoxide dismutase, catalase, GPx and reduced glutathione (GSH) were increased in SAC treated diabetic rats. The above findings were supported by histological observations of the liver and kidney. The antioxidant effect of SAC was compared with glyclazide, a well-known antioxidant and antihyperglycemic drug. The present study indicates that the SAC possesses a significant favorable effect on antioxidant defense system in addition to its antidiabetic effect.

Beneficial effect of S-allylcysteine (SAC) on blood glucose and pancreatic antioxidant system in streptozotocin diabetic rats.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible protective effects of S-allyl cysteine (SAC) on the antioxidant defense system of pancreas in streptozotocin(STZ) induced diabetes in rats. The levels of blood glucose and TBARS in plasma and pancreas were estimated in control and experimental groups of rats. To assess the changes in the cellular antioxidant defense system, the level of reduced glutathione in plasma and pancreas and activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were assayed in pancreatic tissue homogenate. The levels of glucose, TBARS and enzymatic antioxidants were altered in diabetic rats. These alterations were reverted back to near control levels after the treatment of SAC. The antidiabetic and antioxidant effect of SAC was compared with glyclazide, a well-known hypoglycemic drug. These findings suggest that SAC treatment exerts a therapeutic protective nature in diabetes by decreasing oxidative stress.