Abstract
Oxidative stress is believed to be a pathogenic factor in the development of diabetic complications. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of different fractions of heart wood of Pterocarpus marsupium on antioxidant enzyme like protein thiols and also check the efficacy of the extract for the protection of the renal function in alloxan induced diabetic rats. The present study also investigates the levels of liver glycogen which are considered as the best biomarker for assaying the hypoglycemic activity of any drug. Diabetes was induced by administering alloxan dissolved in saline, while the normal control group was given propylene glycol. Diabetes induced animals were randomly assigned into different groups. Blood samples were collected from all the experimental and control groups. Estimation of urea, uric acid and creatinine along with protein thiols was made on day 30 only. At the end, all the animals were sacrificed to collect liver tissue to analyze glycogen content. The 30 days treatment with various extracts (75 mg/kg body wt) significantly lowered protein thiol levels, which probably represents increased utilization for neutralizing free radicals. There was no significant increase in the levels of renal parameters in the extract treated groups which revealed that the employed dose of the extract is nontoxic to the kidney. There was also a significant decrease in the glycogen content in insulin and alcohol-extract treated groups and should be encouraging for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The extract showed a promising antioxidant effect, as well as hypoglycemic activity, and should be encouraged for the treatment of diabetes.