African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12501

Full Length Research Paper

The effects of Momordica charantia on the liver in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in neonatal rats

M. Abdollahi¹, A. B. Z. Zuki¹*, Y. M. Goh¹, Rezaeizadeh A.² and M. M. Noordin³
¹Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor. ²Institute of Bioscience, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor. ³Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 28 May 2010
  •  Published: 31 August 2010

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of Momordica charantia (MC) fruit aqueous extract on the liver histopathological changes in neonatal rats streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus type II. Diabetes mellitus was induced in one day old neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats with STZ (85 mg/kg) and monitored for 12 weeks thereafter. The diabetic rats were separated into three groups as follows: the diabetic control group (nSTZ), the MC treated diabetic group (nSTZ/M), and the glibenclamide treated diabetic group (nSTZ/G). At the end of the treatment, blood glucose, serum insulin, alanine amino transferases (ALT) and aspartate amino transferases (AST) level was measured. Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was measured in the plasma and liver. The liver samples were processed for light microscopy examination. The results showed a reduction of blood glucose, ALT and AST, and increment of insulin level in the nSTZ/M and nSTZ/G rats. Administration of MC reduced the MDA concentration in plasma and liver of the nSTZ/M rats. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity was improved in the nSTZ/M and nSTZ/G groups. The degenerative changes in liver were alleviated in the nSTZ/M and nSTZ/G groups. These results suggested that MC fruit aqueous extract may have a significant role in alleviating liver damage in the nSTZ-diabetic rats.

 

Key words: Diabetes, Momordica charantia, liver, neonatal rat.

Abbreviation

MC, Momordica charantiaSTZ, streptozotocin; nSTZ, diabetic control group; nSTZ/M, Momordica charantia treated diabetic group; nSTZ/G,glibenclamide treated diabetic group; ALT, alanine amino transferases; AST,aspartate amino transferases; MDA, malondialdehyde; NIDDM, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus; IDDM, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus; GLUT4,glucose transporter 4; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; IPGTT,intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test; IPITT, intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test.