Abstract
PURPOSE: Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent metabolic disorder that entails numerous complications in various organs. In current era, different types of diseases are being treated by the applications of herbs. The present study is aimed at investigating the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the Rubus fruticosus hydroethanolic extracts (RFHE) in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODS: At this experimental research, male Wistar rats with the weight of 220 ± 20 g, were categorized randomly into five groups of vehicles as control, STZ (60 mg kg(- 1) of body weight, intraperitoneally (i.p.)) and RFHE (50, 100 and 200 mg kg(- 1), i.p.). In the last stage (end of week 4) of the experiment, after being euthanized, the blood samples of the rats were collected for measuring malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant status (TAS) as well as inflammatory markers like tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP). RESULTS: Data from this study was revealed that diabetes causes oxidative damage and consequently the serum level of inflammatory markers rises. RFHE was shown to be significantly correlated with lowering the level of MDA, TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP of diabetic rats. Moreover, RFHE significantly elevated the GSH and TAS serum levels in diabetic rats when compared with STZ group. CONCLUSIONS: RFHE might have anti-diabetic properties; this outcome may be mediated by high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.