The effects of Cetraria islandica and Pseudevernia furfuracea extracts in normal and diabetic rats

Abstract

Lichens are symbiotic organisms composed of a fungus joined to a photosynthesizing partner that can be either an alga or a cyanobacterium. They can be used as a novel bioresource for natural antioxidants. However, there is also a need for further studies to validate the lichens used in medicinal remedies. This study covers a previously unrecognized effects of Cetraria islandica (CIAE) and Pseudevernia furfuracea (PFAE) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. In experimental design, control or diabetic rats were either untreated or treated with aqueous lichen extracts (250–500 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks starting at 72 h after STZ injection. On day 14, animals were anesthetized, metabolic and biochemical parameters were appreciated between control and treatment groups. The histopathology of kidney was examined using four different staining methods: hematoxylin–eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), Masson trichrome and Congo red. Our experimental data showed that increasing doses of CIAE and PFAE did not have any detrimental effects on the studied parameters and the malondialdehyde level of kidney. CIAE extract showed prominent results compared to doses of PFAE extract for antioxidant capacity. However, the protective effect of CIAE extract was inadequate on diabetes-induced disorders and kidney damages. Moreover, animals subjected to diabetes mellitus (DM) therapy did not benefit unfortunately from the usage of increasing lichen doses due to their unchanged antioxidant activity to tissue. The results obtained in present study suggested that CIAE and PFAE are safe but the power of these is limited because of the intensive oxidative stress in kidney of type 1 diabetic rats. It is also implied that CIAE extract is especially suitable for different administration routes in DM.