Abstract
Objective:
We designed this study to observe the effect of galangin
on damaged mitochondria in the liver of diabetic rats.
Methods:
Male albino Wistar rats were made diabetic by injecting
streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneally
(40 mg kg
−1
body weight (BW)). Galangin
(8 mg kg
−1
BW) or glibenclamide
(600 µg kg
−1
BW) was given orally daily
once for 45 days to both healthy and diabetic rats.
Results:
Diabetic rats showed significant
(
P
< 0.05) increase in liver mitochondrial
oxidant [Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS)] level and a significant
decrease in enzymatic [superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx)]
and non-enzymatic (reduced glutathione (GSH)) antioxidant levels when compared
with healthy rats. The mitochondrial enzymes isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH),
alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (α-KGDH), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)
and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymes
NADH-dehydrogenase and Cytochrome c-oxidase were decreased significantly
(
P
< 0.05) in diabetic rats when compared
with healthy rats. A natural flavonoid galangin administered to
hyperglycemia-induced rats resulted in the following findings as compared to
hyperglycemia-induced control rats: the oxidant levels decreased significantly
(
P
< 0.05); the enzymatic and
non-enzymatic antioxidant levels increased significantly
(
P
< 0.05) and the function of mitochondrial
enzymes and the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymes increased significantly
(
P
< 0.05).
Conclusion:
From the results, we conclude that galangin could
maintain liver mitochondrial function in diabetic rats.