Efficacy of the marine red alga Laurencia papillosa extract on alloxan stimulated hyperglycemic activity in male wistar albino rats

Purpose

Diabetes mellitus, a main health concern worldwide, is one of the most common metabolic disorders characterized by insulin secretion dysfunction.

Materials and methods

In this work, dietary fibers of the ethanolic extract of Laurencia papillosa were detected at 0.1 and 0.2 g/kg body weight using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extract was given orally once daily to male diabetic rats induced with alloxan for two weeks. The blood cholesterol levels, complete blood count, liver function, kidney function, and antioxidant enzymes were analyzed. The molecular docking was operated using Auto Dock Vina.

Results

Treatment with extracts of L. papillosa (0.1–0.2 g/kg) induced a decrease in pre-prandial and post-prandial glucose levels. 0.1 g/kg pre-prandial extract had the highest activity to reduction glucose level (48.670 ± 0.57 mg/dL). Moreover, the complete blood count, kidney function, and liver function differed slightly in the treated mice group compared to the non-treated diabetic group. Docking analyses demonstrated that most ethanolic compounds found within L. papillosa extract have minimum docking scores and high binding affinity against human pancreatic alpha-amylase (PDB: 4W93), insulin receptor (PDB:1IR3), and SIRT-6 (PDB: 3k35)

Conclusion

Results further suggested that the concentration of 0.1 g/kg of L. papillosa extract was more effective than 0.2 g/kg in reducing glucose levels. Our study induced that in vivo and in silico results indicated that L. papillosa extract has been a viable natural bioactive source and might be a great potential source for future antidiabetic medicine.