The effect of safranal on inflamation in type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is one of the current health problems not only for Turkey but also for the global world, and is a rapidly spreading metabolic disease that affects national economies. Type 2 diabetes prevalence is the most commonly encountered form of diabetes increasing with each passing year. Today, possible effects of many natural and synthetic active agents continue to be the favorites of researchers, for the development of treatment methods intended for type 2 diabetes. In the present study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of safranal, one of the components of saffron plant, on the inflammation in the rats in which experimental type 2 diabetes was formed. Experimental models are used for being able to understand the occurrence stages of many diseases and to develop protection methods and treatment protocols. Type 2 diabetes is a disease characterized by insulin resistance and β cell dysfunction. Therefore, in the present study, HFD and STZ were used for being able to create an experimental type 2 diabetes. First, insulin resistance was created by administering HFD to the rats (except for the control group) for a period of 4 weeks, and then β cell dysfunction was formed by means of STZ injection (by two injections of a dose of 30 mg/kg, with one week intervals). After the administration of STZ, the rats having a minimum blood glucose level of 300 mg/dl were considered to be type 2 diabetic, and study groups were formed. In the first 6 weeks of the study, experimental groups were formed in 5 groups, after the stage of creating insulin resistance. The study groups were designed as control group (rats were given standard feed for a period of 10 weeks), HFD group (rats were fed with high-fat diet for a period of 10 weeks), HFD - Safranal group (the rats fed with high-fat diet for 10 weeks were then subjected to safranal treatment for 5 weeks), DYB group (the group in which diabetes was created with double and low-dose streptozotocin injection after 4 weeks of high-fat diet), and DYB - Safranal group (the diabetic group subjected to safranal treatment for the last 5 weeks). Throughout the study period (10 weeks), the weight gains and plasma glucose levels of the rats were determined each week and bi-weekly, respectively. At the end of the study, IFN-, IL–1β , IL–6, TNF–α and TAS – TOS levels in the pancreas and plasma were measured. In addition, the insulin levels in the plasma were determined. And the effect of safranal on Beta cell dysfunction and insulin resistance was detected by HOMA test. In the present study, safranal was found to decrease oxidative stress in both the plasma and pancreatic tissue. In addition, it was ascertained that safranal might decreased the inflammation by reducing TNF-α and IL-1β levels, in particular. It was concluded that safranal might be helpful in terms of reduction of diabetic complications, by means of its effects on both oxidative stress and inflammation, and that further studies should be carried out for this purpose. 2014, xi + 73 pages Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, Safranal, inflammatory cytokines, inflammation, oxidative stress