Protective Effect of Capparis spinosa Hydroalcoholic Extract on the Integrity of Rat Pancreatic Islets

Capparis spinosa L. belongs to the Capparaceae family for which biological roles such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic effects have been reported. Some active chemical groups including flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, tannins, and minerals have been detected in these plants [Sci Rew1] . This study aimed to extract the C. spinosa alcoholic extract from different parts of the plant, measure the content of phenols and flavonoids, and evaluate the effects of bud extracts on the viability and oxidative state of the islets of Langerhans isolated from rat pancreas.

In this experimental setup, the hydroalcoholic extracts of different parts of the plant were obtained based on the maceration method. Folin-Ciocalteu and rutin were used as the standard reagents to measure phenols and flavonoids. The islets of Langerhans were isolated from the pancreas of male rats (n=16) and incubated for 24 hours. Then, the islets were exposed to the plant extract for 24 hours after which cellular viability and reactive oxygen species were measured.

The C. spinosa bud alcoholic extract markedly increased the survival of the islet cells. This effect was dose-dependent, and the greatest effects were observed at103 and 104 μgmL-1. At the mentioned concentrations, ROS production was reduced by 37% and 72% respectively comparing to the control.

The results indicated that C. spinose may have protective effects on the endocrine pancreas by increasing viability and decreasing ROS in the islets, and can thus be considered as a promising agent for prophylaxis and therapy in diabetes management.