The possible benefits of Garcinia kola and curcumin on diabetes-induced aorta damage in the male rats with transected sciatic nerve: An experimental study

Year 2026, Volume: 53 Issue: 1, 137 - 149, 10.03.2026

Gamze Altun , Osman Furkan Gedik , Merve Kurtulmuş Göksu Göktaş Yasemin Elif Eroğlu Hale Nur Özler Melih Tezel Hale Gemici Suleyman Kaplan

https://doi.org/10.5798/dicletip.1906467

https://izlik.org/JA38SL72GM

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the degenerative effects of diabetes on the aorta and the potential therapeutic advantages of herbal agents halting the progression of diabetes, using morphoquantitative, light, and electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical methods. In diabetic rats with sciatic nerve transection, severe systemic inflammation can lead to significant changes in vascular morphology. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the combination of neuropathic pain and diabetes would create a more clinically significant pathophysiological picture.
Methods: The study groups consisted of 35 randomly selected Wistar albino rats: Healthy control group (Cont) (n=7), Sham that underwent the operation (n=7), Diabetes mellitus group induced by streptozotocin (DM) (n=7), diabetes treated with 200 mg/kg/day Garcinia kola (GK) (DM+GK) (n=7), and 300 mg/kg/day Curcumin (Cur) is administered to treat diabetes in the DM+Cur group (n=7). A neuropathic pain model was induced by performing a vein graft after sciatic nerve incision in all groups except the control group. 50 mg/kg (a single dose) of streptozotocin has been used for the induction of diabetes. Histopathological, ultrastructural, and immunostaining for anti-caspase-3 and anti-VEGF-A were evaluated.
Results: Degenerative changes were found in the diabetic aorta. Partial disruption of elastic fiber integrity in the tunica media was observed in the GK-treated group. Anti-caspase-3 positivity was intense in the DM rats. Anti-VEGF-A staining was low in the DM but higher in DM+Cur compared with DM+GK. The tunica media thickness decreased significantly in the DM and treatment groups compared to the Sham group.
Conclusion: Diabetes damages aortic elastic fibers. Cur can induce anti-VEGF-A expression, which is reduced in diabetes. Both curcumin and GK inhibit diabetes-induced apoptosis, with Cur exerting a more substantial protective effect on the aorta.

Keywords

Aorta , Apoptosis , Curcumin , Diabetes Mellitus , Garcinia Kola

Ethical Statement

All experimental methods involving live animals used in the current study were approved by the Ondokuz Mayıs University Local Animal Experiments Ethics Committee (Approval number: 2019/49, date: October 22, 2019). Additionally, formal approval was obtained for the use of aortic cadaver tissues (Application number: 68489742-604.01.03-E.2607, dated January 31, 2020).

Kurkumin ve Garcinia Kola'nın diyabetik aort hasarı üzerindeki iyileştirici etkileri: Deneysel bir çalışma

https://izlik.org/JA38SL72GM

Abstract

Giriş: Bu çalışmanın amacı, diyabetin aort üzerindeki dejeneratif etkilerini ve terapötik bitkilerin diyabetin ilerlemesini durdurucu potansiyel terapötik avantajlarını, morfokantitatif, ışık ve elektron mikroskopi ile immünohistokimyasal yöntemler kullanarak değerlendirmektir. Siyatik sinir kesisi modeli oluşturulan diyabetik sıçanlarda gelişen şiddetli sistemik inflamasyon, vasküler morfolojide önemli değişikliklere yol açabilir. Bu nedenle, nöropatik ağrı modeli ile diyabet hastalığının birlikte klinik açıdan daha anlamlı bir patofizyolojik tablo oluşturacağı düşünülmüştür.
Yöntemler: Çalışma grupları rastgele seçilmiş 35 Wistar albino sıçandan oluşmuştur: Sağlıklı kontrol grubu (Kont) (n=7), cerrahi kontrol grubu olan Sham grubu (n=7), streptozotosin ile indüklenen diyabet grubu (DM) (n=7), 200 mg/kg/gün Garcinia kola (GK) ile tedavi edilen diyabet grubu (DM+GK) (n=7) ve DM+Kur grubunda diyabeti tedavi etmek için 300 mg/kg/gün Kurkumin (Kur) uygulanan grup (n=7). Kontrol grubu hariç tüm gruplarda siyatik sinir insizyonundan sonra ven grefti uygulanarak nöropatik ağrı modeli oluşturulmuştur. Diyabet indüksiyonu için 50 mg/kg (tek doz) streptozotosin kullanılmıştır. Histopatolojik, ultrastrüktürel ve anti-kaspaz-3 ve anti-VEGF-A için immün boyama değerlendirilmiştir.
Bulgular: Diyabetik aortada dejeneratif değişiklikler saptandı. GK ile tedavi edilen grupta tunika media'da elastik lif bütünlüğünde kısmi bozulma gözlemlendi. Anti-kaspaz-3 pozitifliği DM sıçanlarında yoğundu. Anti-VEGF-A boyaması DM grubunda düşük, ancak DM+Kur grubunda DM+GK grubuna kıyasla daha yüksekti. Tunika media kalınlığı, Sham grubuna kıyasla DM ve tedavi gruplarında anlamlı derecede azaldı.
Sonuç: Diyabet, aortun elastik liflerine zarar verir. Kur, diyabette azalan anti-VEGF-A ekspresyonunu tetikleyebilir. Hem Kur hem de GK, diyabetin neden olduğu apoptozu inhibe eder; ancak Kur aort üzerinde daha belirgin bir koruyucu etki gösterir.

Keywords

Aort , Apoptoz , Kurkumin , Diabetes Mellitus , Garcinia Kola.

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