Ameliorative Potential of the Polyphenolic Compounds in Cucumis sativus (Linn.) Fruit Pulp Extract on Streptozotocin-induced Diabetes in Male Wistar Rats
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus continues to be a major global public health concern, underscoring the urgent need for continuous exploration of locally available medicinal plants and functional foods that are affordable, accessible, and capable of supporting effective management and improved health outcomes. This study investigated the effect of Cucumis sativus pulp extract (CSPE) on selected oxidative stress and diabetes-related biochemical indices. A total of 24 male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (n=6), including control, diabetic-untreated, and diabetic-treated groups (with CSPE or glibenclamide). Oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide [H2O2], nitric oxide [NO], malondialdehyde [MDA], glutathione [GSH]); lipid profile (total cholesterol [TC], triglyceride [TRIG], high-density [HDL-Chol, low-density [LDL-Chol], and very-low-density [VLDL-Chol] lipoprotein cholesterol; liver antioxidant (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT]); and liver function (alanine [ALT], and aspartate [AST] aminotransferase) enzymes were evaluated using standard biochemical kits and procedures. PyRx and Biovia Discovery Studio were used for molecular docking studies while swissADME and ProTox were used to predict the ADME/T properties. Results showed that treatment with CSPE had a significant (p<0.05) increase in liver antioxidant enzymes, HDL-Chol, and GSH levels and decrease in liver function, TC, TRIG, LDL-Chol, VLDL-Chol, H2O2, MDA, and NO compared to the diabetic-untreated group. β-sitosterol bound well with α-amylase (-8.9 kcal/ mol) and aldose reductase (-8.8 kcal/mol) while hesperidin bound to α-glucosidase (-8.8 kcal/mol) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (-10.6 kcal/mol) with favorable ADME and non-toxicity profiles. In conclusion, CSPE can serve as a therapeutic agent in addition to its known nutritional properties in managing diabetes and its related complications.
Keywords
Diabetes mellitus, Cucumis sativus fruit, Polyphenols, Hypoglycemic, Hypolipidemic, Functional foods, Lipid profile, Hepatic function, Antioxidant
Project Number
1
Ethical Statement
Current national and international criteria were followed in the care and usage of the Wistar rats during the study. With the ethical approval number LASU/23/REC/055, the Lagos State University Research Ethics Committee authorized the study procedure.
Thanks
The authors want to deeply appreciate the favor, wisdom, and mercies of God for the success of this research.
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