Effects of alcoholic extract of Alhagi maurorum on the expression level of hepatic Caspase-3 gene in male Wistar rats following the induction of diabetes mellitus

Many diseases, including diabetes, are involve in the development of liver disorders through changes in the expression of genes such as Caspase-3. In the present study, the impact of alcoholic extract of Alhagi maurorum on the expression level of liver Caspase-3 gene was investigated in male Wistar rats following the induction of diabetes mellitus by streptozotocin.

In this experimental study, 42 male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups. The control group was left untreated, the diabetic control group received one dose of 70 mg/kg streptozotocin, the experimental groups 1 and 2 received 250 and 500 mg/kg Alhagi maurorum alcoholic extract peritoneally respectively, and the experimental groups 3 and 4 first received streptozotocin followed by 250 and 500 mg/kg extracts respectively. To investigate the expression level of the Caspase-3 gene, liver samples were obtained from all the groups, and were evaluated using real time PCR.

The expression of Caspase-3 gene, against β actine, increased significantly in experimental groups compared to the control group, while diabetic groups received extract showed reduced gene expression compared to the streptozotocin group.

It appears that Alhagi maurorum extract is effective in reducing hepatic gene expression of Caspase-3, which increases after using streptozotocin. This effect is possibly due to the anti-oxidants contents, such as flavonoids and anthocyanins.