JOURNAL OF LIAONING TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

HEPATIC FUNCTION, ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE, AND LIPID PROFILE IN STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC RATS TREATED WITH Terminalia catappa AQUEOUS NUT EXTRACT

Olasunkanmi Kayode Awote*, Gbemisola Morounke Saibu, Olugbenga Samuel Oladimeji, Babajide David Kayode, Uzezi Edoka Isiosio, Isaac Isiosio, Adeniyi Ayemu Adejare, Oladipupo Adejumobi Lawal

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is still without a cure, and there’s a need to manage and prevent its related complications. Terminalia catappa is a locally consumed, nutritive fruit whose nut is considered waste. Hence, this study evaluated the effects of Terminalia catappa aqueous nut extract (TCANE) on hepatic antioxidant enzymes, liver function, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress levels in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Twenty-four (24) Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n=6): control (group 1), diabetic untreated (group 2), and diabetic groups treated with TCANE (300 mg/ kg body weight) and glibenclamide (groups 3 and 4, respectively). PyRx and Biovia Discovery Studio were used for molecular docking studies, while SwissADME and ProTox were used to predict the ADME/T properties. The results from this study showed that the TCANE-treated group had a significant (p?0.05) increase and decrease in hepatic antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)] and liver function [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)] activities compared to the untreated diabetic rats, respectively. Additionally, a significant (p<0.05) decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were observed. The in-silico studies showed favorable 2D and 3D interactions between TCANE bioactive compounds (epicatechin, sapogenin, and flavone) and the selected key diabetes-related proteins. The ADME/T analysis of these compounds showed good pharmacokinetic properties, with acceptable absorption, metabolism, and non-toxicity. These findings suggest that Terminalia catappa could be a potential therapeutic agent for managing diabetes and its related complications rather than being discarded after consuming the fruit.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Waste-to-wealth, Terminalia catappa nut, Phytochemistry, Polyphenol, Antioxidant enzymes, Hepatic enzymes, Oxidative stress, Lipid profile.