Protective Effects of Rheum Ribes Hydroalcoholic Extract on Blood Glucose and Renal Histological Structure in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Male Rats

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common and significant metabolic and endocrine diseases in humans and causes disturbances in the metabolism of glucose, fat, and protein. Factors such as gender, age, genetic factors, environmental, economic, and geographic factors are involved in the spread of this disease. Diabetes causes complications in the kidneys, eyes, peripheral nerves, and blood pressure. Diabetes is also considered one of the causes of liver disorders. Many types of research show the relationship between liver disorders and mortality in type 2 diabetes.In this disorder, the body loses the ability to clear glucose from the blood, and blood glucose increases abnormally. Diabetes is divided into two categories: type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which is type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM). The main cause of this disease is the destruction of the beta cells Little islets of Langerhans by self-bodies. A chronic increase in blood glucose in the long term leads to damage to various organs, including the cardiovascular system, and eventually death. The use of antioxidant substances will play a significant role in reducing the consequences of diabetes, and among them, the use of compounds of plant origin, which usually have fewer side effects, has its importance. It seems that the hydroalcoholic extract of the rhubarb plant is important in the treatment of diabetes due to its antioxidant properties and the reduction of free radicals because its role in reducing oxidative stress resulting from the inflammatory process has been proven . Rhubarb has vitamins A, B, and C, calcium, sodium, and potassium salts, as well as anthraquinone compounds and oxalic acid, a substance called rain, fatty substances, a lot of starch, and a bitter substance called beta-glucosamine, which is  stimulating the pancreas and makes it secrete insulin and lowers blood glucose The effect of decreased blood glucose in rhubarb was attributed to tannin. Tanin stimulates pancreatic beta cells. The effect of rhubarb on beta cell activity lowers glucose levels .The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of the hydroalcoholic Rheum Ribe extract on blood glucose levels and the histological structure of the kidney in a male rat treated with streptozocin.

In this experimental study, 36 male Wistar rats were randomly distributed in 6 groups. Rats were made diabetic by intragastric injection of streptozocin (65 mg/kg). They received the supplementation, hydroalcoholic extract of  Rheum Ribes leaves with doses of 75 and 150 mg/kg of body weight by gavage method. After the treatment period, the rats were anesthetized with ketamine and xylazine and died smoothly. Blood was taken from the heart of the animals for serological examination of the plasmatic glucose grade. Subsequently, histological examination of the renal tissue after fixation and staining with hematoxylin-eosin was performed under an optical microscope. Finally, the data were analyzed using Anova and Tukey's test, considering the significance level, P < 0.05.

The results demonstrated a significant decrease in glucose and weight gain in rats treated with Rheum Ribes  extract compared to the diabetic control group. The volume of ALT and AST enzymes in the diabetic control group increased significantly compared to the control group, and the treatment of the groups significantly reduced the level of the enzymes depending on the dose (P<0.05).

Currently, insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs are used to treat diabetes. Although the use of these drugs has relatively beneficial effects in reducing blood glucose, they can cause complications such as hypoglycemic shock (severe blood glucose reduction), liver disorders, and metabolic acidosis. Therefore, the need to find more effective compounds with fewer side effects is inevitable and the use of alternative drugs, including herbal drugs, has been considered. According to the results of the present research, the hydroalcoholic extract of rhubarb works effectively in reducing the damage caused by diabetes. Studies have shown that treatment with hydroalcoholic extract of rhubarb reduces blood glucose and ALT and AST enzymes and has a more clear effect for the treatment of diabetes. Therefore, the extract of this plant can be considered as a complementary medicine, although more biochemical and pharmacological research should be considered for its use.