Discussion

In the present research experiments were designed to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of aqueous extract of root bark of Berberis lycium Royle. Antidiabetic effect of B. lycium Royle root bark was compared with glibenclamide. Diabetes was induced by alloxan in animals and were treated with B. lycium Royle root bark extract and AgNPs for 28 days. The plasma glucose level was estimated at 0, 7th, 14th, 21stand 28th day of the research work to assess the potency of the extract in clearing plasma glucose in mice induced with diabetes. Upsurge in glucose level was seen in alloxan induced diabetic mice but after treatment withB. lycium Royle root bark extract glucose level was normalized. The decline in glucose level after treatment might be brought by the pancreatic β- cells stimulation to yield insulin or by prevention of glucose absorption from the intestine or it may heighten the glucose uptake in peripheral tissues (Gayathri and Kannabiran, 2009).
Reduction in body mass was seen in alloxanized mice. Severe loss in body weight is due to loss or degradation of structural proteins (Rajkumar and Govindarajulu, 1991). The B. lycium Royle root bark extract prevented the loss in body mass in alloxan induced diabetic mice and from this it is evident that the B. lycium root bark extract possess a significant beneficial effect on body mass. This may be due to the protein sparing effect of B. lycium Royle which avert protein ruin that upshots in improvement of body mass. Insulin paucity in diabetes makes the cells famish for glucose, so the cells use proteins as a substitute energy source which eventually fallouts in body mass reduction. Copious studies have shown a link between hyperglycemia and dwindled body mass of diabetic animals. It was observed that alloxan induced diabetes is associated with the reduction in the body mass of animals (Sharma, 2009).
Hyperlipidemia like secondary hitches are linked to diabetes mellitus. It is pigeon-holed by escalation in serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and VLDL. Potential of the B. lycium Royle root bark extract to lower the diabetic impediments by gaging the lipid profile was evaluated. Upsurge in total plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C and VLDL-C and decline in HDL-C was seen in alloxan induced diabetic mice. Mice of therapeutic groups treated with extract have shown significant reduction in above serum parameters except HDL-C which was increased after treatment.
The relationship between hepatic ailment and diabetes mellitus is well known. In recent times, new understandings of this link came from the recognition that diabetes itself may be a motive of hepatic ailment. Hepatic damage leads to its faulty function and it is characterized by the augmented concentrations of hepatic enzymes ASAT and ALAT in the blood. Measurement of ASAT, ALAT and ALP have clinical and toxicological prominence as fluctuations in their activities are symptomatic of tissue damage (Somnath et al., 2001). An augmentation in ASAT activity is due to hepatocellular damage followed by cardiac tissue damage and is usually accompanied by a rise in ALAT activity (Rao et al., 1989). When cell membranes get impaired, the enzymes ASAT and ALAT, located in the cytosol, leak into the blood stream thus causing damage to hepatic tissues (Shyamala et al., 2003). It is signposted that B. lyciumRoyle comprehends various bioactive compounds that preserve the integrity of hepatic cells which preclude the leakage of ASAT and ALATin serum. In current study level of these enzymes increased in alloxanized mice but these hepatic markers were sustained in their normal range in diabetic treated mice.
Serum catalase is a major factor of hepatic antioxidants and catalyzes the reduction of H2O2 and shields the tissue from highly reactive OH•. Reduction in serum catalase activity might be the result from inactivation by O2•- and glycation of the enzyme (Rajasekaran et al., 2005). In current study catalase and SOD level decreased significantly in diabetic mice and these changes were reversed in B. lycium Royle root bark extract treated mice. LPO level was increased in diabetic mice which was not significantly normalized by B. lycium Royle root bark extract. LPO upsurge is a significant findings in diabetes mellitus which is a marker of raised oxidative stress in diabetes mellitus (Sen et al ., 2005).
Intensification in urea, uric acid and creatinine levels are markers of renal dysfunction in the diabetic groups (Alarcon-Aguilara et al ., 1998). In present study upsurge in these markers were seen in diabetic group. Upon treatment with aqueous extract of B. lyciumRoyle the renal markers were significantly declined, this explains the shielding effect afforded by aqueous extract of B. lycium Royle on kidneys in diabetes. Protein level in alloxanized mice was decreased, this effect was reversed on treatment. Discount of protein level is an indicator of diabetic condition (Surana et al. , 2008). Declined serum protein level in alloxanized mice is supposed to be due to improved protein catabolism and gluconeogenesis in diabetes (Palanivelet al. , 2001). This implies that B. lycium Royle enhance glucose utilization and prevent protein degradation that normalized the altered protein level in B. lycium Royle treated groups.
Alloxan induced diabetic mice exhibited a substantial spread in total WBCs count. This upsurge in total WBCs count may be due to the improved hemopoitic activity as a result of the hemolysis of RBCs in diabetic mice. In diabetic mice group number of lymphocytes were dropped. This might be as a retort to stressful situation after alloxan injection, these results are in agreement with previous study (Palanivel et al. , 2001) or it may be due to the production of antibodies against different antigens, since lymphocytes are accountable for attaining the defense mechanism in the body (El Feki et al ., 1997). The rise in number of neutrophils may be due the participation of these cells in the phagocytosis against diverse antigens. The upsurge in neutrophils also may be due to drop in its phagocytic action in hyperglycemia and due to upsurge in hemopoitic activity after releasing the granules of neutrophil by exocytosis to lyses the antigens extra-cellularly (Ganong, 2003). B. lycium Royle root bark extract showed an improvement in percentage of lymphocytes when compared to diabetic group. In treated mice groups WBCs count, neutrophils percentage and lymphocytes turned back to normal value. This indicates that phyto-treatment affects the defense mechanism to impede the inflammation resultant of alloxan treatment. This is in line with previous studies (Kollar & Roan, 1980; Shakoori et al ., 1992). Proteins glycation prompted by diabetic hyperglycemia can have modificational impacts on membrane proteins of RBCs and hemoglobulin (Hb) (Koga et al ., 1980). Haemoglobin (Hb) values in diabetic mice displayed substantial decline in agreement with prior hematological studies reporting anemia as a pathophysiological problem of diabetes mellitus (Akindele et al ., 2012). This discount is possibly because of blood osmoregulation flaw and abnormal synthesis of Hb (Akindele et al ., 2012). Platelets count were also measured, substantial variations in diabetic mice was perceived as compared to control group which was normalized after treatment withB. lycium Royle extract. No significant variation was seen in other hematological parameters. Histopathological studies showed damage in pancreas, liver and kidney in diabetic group and effect was reversed in B. lycium Royle extract treated groups (figure 9 a, b,c).