The Berberis aristata Ameliorates oxazolone induced contact dermatitis: in-vivo and in silico evidences

A Review of Fibraurea tinctoria and Its Component, Berberine, as an Antidiabetic and Antioxidant

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia caused by resistance to insulin action, inadequate insulin secretion, or excessive glucagon production. Numerous studies have linked diabetes mellitus and oxidative stress. People with diabetes usually exhibit high oxidative stress due to persistent and chronic hyperglycemia, which impairs the activity of the antioxidant defense system and promotes the formation of free radicals. Recently, several studies have focused on exploring natural antioxidants to improve diabetes mellitus. Fibraurea tinctoria has long been known as the native Borneo used in traditional medicine to treat diabetes. Taxonomically, this plant is part of the Menispermaceae family, widely known for producing various alkaloids. Among them are protoberberine alkaloids such as berberine. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid with many pharmacological activities. Berberine is receiving considerable interest because of its antidiabetic and antioxidant activities, which are based on many biochemical pathways. Therefore, this review explores the pharmacological effects of Fibraurea tinctoria and its active constituent, berberine, against oxidative stress and diabetes, emphasizing its mechanistic aspects. This review also summarizes the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of berberine and in silico studies of berberine in several diseases and its protein targets.

In-vivo and in-vitro evaluation of therapeutic potential of β- Carotene in diabetes

The present study was performed to investigate the therapeutic potential of β- Carotene against STZ induced diabetes by using in vivo and in vitro models. MTT assay was performed to check the cytotoxic effect of β- Carotene in HepG2 liver cells which were treated with β- Carotene (10, 20 μM). The anti-diabetic activity was examined by estimating different enzymes in cell lines. Further, we validated activity by using in vitro models. Male Albino Wistar rats were divided into five groups each group contain six animals (n = 6). The diabetes was induced via intraperitoneal injection of STZ and the β- Carotene was treated with daily doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg for 14 days. After the last dose of β- Carotene, rats were sacrificed and the biochemical parameters were estimated in liver homogenate. The disease control group showed an elevation in the level of cytokine as well as ROS and β- Carotene-treated animals showed a reduction in the level of cytokine and normal content of anti-oxidant enzyme in liver tissue homogenate. We found β- Carotene had no toxic effect on HepG2 liver cells. In the case of the glucose utilization assay, it was found that glucose uptake level was significantly increased with the increasing concentrations of β-Carotene. In conclusion β- Carotene improves glucose metabolism along with oxidative status in STZ-induced diabetic rats.