Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by persistent hyperglycemia, leading to insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, and tissue damage, particularly in the liver. Limitations of conventional antidiabetic therapies have increased interest in medicinal plants with antioxidant and antidiabetic properties. Although several Marrubium species show promising biological effects, evidence for Marrubium parviflorum remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the methanolic extract of Marrubium parviflorum in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. In this experimental study, forty adult male mice were divided into five groups: control, extract control (EXT, 50 mg/kg), STZ-induced diabetic (STZ, 150 mg/kg), STZ+EXT at 50 mg/kg, and STZ+EXT at 100 mg/kg. Treatments were administered orally for 21 days. Blood glucose, serum insulin, oral glucose tolerance test, body weight, and food and water intake were measured. Oxidative stress markers, including malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), as well as SGOT and SGPT, were evaluated. Liver histopathology was also assessed. STZ-induced diabetes increased blood glucose levels (P < 0.001), serum MDA (P < 0.01), SGOT (P < 0.01), and SGPT (P < 0.001), while reducing TAC (P < 0.05) and body weight (P < 0.01) compared with controls. Treatment with EXT significantly reduced blood glucose levels at both 50 and 100 mg/kg (P < 0.05–0.001) and improved glucose tolerance (P < 0.05–0.01). Serum MDA levels were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), whereas TAC was markedly increased at both doses (P < 0.001). SGOT and SGPT levels were significantly reduced at 100 mg/kg (P < 0.05). Histopathological analysis showed improvement in hepatic architecture, with near-normal hepatocyte structure at the higher dose. EXT exhibits hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective effects in diabetic mice, suggesting its potential as a complementary therapeutic for diabetes.
Yazdan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.