Effect of Berberine on Glycation, Aldose Reductase Activity, and Oxidative Stress in the Lenses of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats In Vivo—A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus affects the eye lens, leading to cataract formation by glycation, osmotic stress, and oxidative stress. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, is a natural compound that has been reported to counteract all these pathological processes in various tissues and organs. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether berberine administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg by oral gavage for 28 days to rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes reveals such effects on the biochemical parameters in the lenses. For this purpose, the following lenticular parameters were studied: concentrations of soluble protein, non-protein sulfhydryl groups (NPSH), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and activities of aldose reductase (AR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Diabetes induced unfavorable changes in the majority of the examined parameters. The administration of berberine resulted in an increased soluble protein level, decreased activity of AR, and lowered AOPP and AGEs levels. The results suggest that berberine administered orally positively affects the lenses of diabetic rats, and should be further examined with regard to its anticataract potential.

Delivery of Natural Agents by Means of Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres as a Promising Anticancer Strategy

“…Recently, berberine extract or pure compound has gained much attention in the newly published research and is among the top pharmaceutical supplements on shelves [412]. The preclinical evidence from huge studies reveals the capability of berberine to treat many diseases [411,[413][414][415][416][417][418][419]. Thus, berberine is clinically studied for many diseases, such as diabetes [410,[420][421][422][423].…”

Current Approach to the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Cataracts

“…Evidence of the involvement of oxidative stress in the development of diabetic cataracts is also available [ 51 , 52 , 53 ]. The induction of this process in diabetes results from a variety of mechanisms.…”

Endophytes, a Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds to Curtail the Formation–Accumulation of Advanced Glycation End Products: A Review

“…In some cases, endophytes may elicit the synthesis of certain plant compounds, such as alkaloids [ 161 ] and phenolics [ 162 ]. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid with antiAGEs activity [ 163 ]. Their synthesis in Coptis teeta was positively linked with the presence of Microbacterium species [ 164 ].…”