Pharmacophore an International Research Journal
Flaxseeds (Linum usitatissimum) (LU) are the richest source of α-linolenic acid and lignans. The present investigation aimed to assess the effect of Linum usitatissimum L. (LU) powder on experimental streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in Wistar rats. STZ was injected at a single dose of sixty mg/kg of body weight (BW) to induce diabetes mellitus. 20 diabetic rats were allocated into two groups and fed a casein diet supplemented or not with LU powder (1g/100g diet). The animals of the control group (n=10) were fed a standard diet. The animals were sacrificed after 56 days of the experiment and biochemical assays were carried out on plasma and tissue homogenates. Histological modifications were also witnessed in the liver, pancreas, and kidney. At d56, in LU treated vs untreated diabetic groups, glycemia and HBA1c levels were decreased significantly (p<0.05). The body weight was significantly enhanced in LU treated rats as compared to the diabetic group on the 14th day onwards. Our data show that LU improved diabetes-induced dyslipidemia by reducing the levels of total cholesterol (CT) and triacylglycerols (TG) in the liver and plasma. Moreover, LU-treatment lowered significantly plasma phospholipids (PL) and LDL-HDL1-C concentrations in diabetic rats. In reverse, HDL-C concentrations were enhanced in the LU-treated group. Treatment of diabetic rats with LU induced a significant lessening of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and enhanced renal functions in diabetic rats by decreasing plasma urea, creatinine, and uric acid levels. In addition, LU-treatment normalized thiobarbituric acid reactive substance analysis (TBARS) levels and induced a significant decrease in liver and kidney in diabetic animals. Histopathological observations of the liver, pancreas, and kidney tissues revealed that LU was non-toxic and protected against the deleterious effects of streptozotocin. Our study shows that Linum usitatissimum could prevent diabetic complications by improving diabetes-related dyslipidemia and oxidative damage.
