Animal Models as Tools to Investigate Antidiabetic and Anti-Inflammatory Plants

Abstract

Plants have been historically used for diabetes treatment and related anti-inflammatory activity throughout the world; few of them have been validated by scientific criteria. Recently, a large diversity of animal models has been developed for better understanding the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and its underlying inflammatory mechanism and new drugs have been introduced in the market to treat this disease. The aim of this work is to review the available animal models of diabetes and anti-inflammatory activity along with some in vitro models which have been used as tools to investigate the mechanism of action of drugs with potential antidiabetic properties and related anti-inflammatory mechanism. At present, the rigorous procedures for evaluation of conventional antidiabetic medicines have rarely been applied to test raw plant materials used as traditional treatments for diabetes; and natural products, mainly derived from plants, have been tested in chemically induced diabetes model. This paper contributes to design new strategies for the development of novel antidiabetic drugs and its related inflammatory activity in order to treat this serious condition which represents a global public health problem.

Effect of the Aquatic Extract of Stevia on the Serum Level of Interleukin-6 in Streptozotocin-Nicotinamide Induced Diabetic Rats

“…On the other hand, numerous reports have demonstrated that inflammation, as an important defense mechanism, occurs in diabetic patients (41), which consequently leads to insulin resistance and initiates type II diabetes (42).…”

Comparative Anti-Inflammatory Study on the Efficacy of Leaf and Root of Agnimantha (Premna Corymbosa Rottl.) in Wistar Albino Rats

“…8 From the critical analysis of the result, administration of Agnimantha leaf and root kwatha (decoction) at the dose of /kg b.w orally showed moderate to significant decrease in the 1 st hour, similar to the standard drug, diclofenac. While in the 3 rd hour, the Agnimantha root group and the standard group showed moderate to significant decrease and the Agnimantha leaf group showed only mild non significant decrease of paw volume In the 6 th hour all the 3 groups showed significant decrease in the paw volume but the difference is the standard group showed high significant decrease, and the Agnimantha leaf and root group showed only moderate decrease in paw volume.…”

An Experimental Evaluation on the Anti Inflammatory Activity of Leaves of Karanja (Pongamia Pinnata Linn. Pierre)

“…Cotton pellet implanted granuloma model is based on the foreign body granuloma that can provoke by subcutaneous implantation of pellets of compressed cotton in rats. The cotton pellets implanted in the intrascapular region induces a chronic inflammation process in which development of proliferative cells, monocyte migration, liquid accumulation, apoptosis, damage and so on will occur in the surrounding tissue of the pellets and these accumulations will produce a granulation tissue that covers the pellets 17 . During the repair process of nflammation, there is proliferation of macrophages, neutrophils, fibroblasts and multiplication of small blood vessels, which are the basic sources of forming a highly vascularised reddish mass, termed granulation tissue.…”