Polyherbal mixture ameliorates hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and histopathological changes of pancreas, kidney and liver in a rat model of type 1 diabetes

Ethnopharmacological relevance: One of the commonly prescribed 'anti-diabetic' polyherbal mixtures by European herbalists is made of Rubus fruticosus and Vaccinium myrtillus leaves, Potentilla erecta roots, Geum urbanum aerial parts and Phaseolus vulgaris pods.

Aim of the study: This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, nephroprotective and hepatoprotective activities of this polyherbal mixture decoction.

Materials and methods: The antioxidant activity was assessed using the DPPH test. Diabetes was induced in Wistar female rats with a single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg). The animals whose blood glucose was >20 mmol/l for 14 consecutive days were considered diabetic. For the next 14 days, D-10 and D-20 groups were treated with the polyherbal mixture (10 and 20 g of dry plant material/kg, respectively). I and M were control groups treated with insulin glargine (13 IU/kg) and metformin (150 mg/kg), respectively. Healthy control (HC) and diabetic control (DC) groups were treated with water. The blood glucose level was measured on days 14, 21 and 28. Lipid profile analysis was done on day 28. Pancreas, kidney and liver histopathology was evaluated using the H&E and Masson's trichrome staining. The liver tissue was additionally tested for PAS-positive cells.

Results: The antioxidant activity of the extract was higher than the reference's one (p < 0.01). No significant decline in blood sugar was recorded in I and M groups compared to the DC one (22.86 ± 2.58, 28.5 ± 0.42 and 27.82 ± 0.9 mmol/l, respectively). The polyherbal mixture lowered the blood glucose level to the normal value (8.64 ± 4.09, 5.26 ± 1.3 and 6.76 ± 1.54 mmol/l in D-10, D-20 and HC groups, respectively). Furthermore, it decreased the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL, LDL, atherogenic and cardiovascular risk indices (p < 0.001) compared to the DC group. In addition, the extract restored histopathological changes of the pancreas, kidneys and liver to the healthy animal level.

Conclusion: Treatment with the polyherbal mixture extract was more effective than the standard drugs (insulin and metformin) in the amelioration of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and histopathological changes of the pancreas, kidney and liver tissue.

Keywords: Diabetes; Hepatoprotective; Hypoglycemic; Hypolipidemic; Nephroprotective; Polyherbal mixture.