Mitigating diabetes-related complications: Empowering metformin with cholecalciferol and taurine supplementation in type 2 diabetic rats.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. Current treatment options like metformin (MET) effectively counteract hyperglycemia but fail to alleviate diabetes-associated complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, hepatopathy, and cardiovascular diseases.

Aim: To propose the supplementation of cholecalciferol (CHO) and taurine (TAU) to enhance MET efficacy in controlling diabetes while minimizing the risk of associated complications.

Methods: The study involved sixty rats, including ten non-diabetic control rats and fifty experimental rats with type 2 diabetes induced by streptozotocin. The experimental rats were further subdivided into positive control and treatment subgroups. The four treatment groups were randomly allocated to a single MET treatment or MET combined with supplements either CHO, TAU, or both.

Results: Diabetic rats exhibited elevated levels of glucose, insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), glycated hemoglobin%, lipid markers, aspartate aminotransferase, and malondialdehyde, along with reduced levels of antioxidant enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase). The administration of CHO and TAU supplements alongside MET in diabetic rats led to a noticeable recovery of islet mass. The antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties of the proposed combination therapy significantly ameliorated the aforementioned abnormalities.

Conclusion: The supplementation of CHO and TAU with MET showed the potential to significantly improve metabolic parameters and protect against diabetic complications through its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects.