Drugs such as biguanides and sulfonylureas e.t.c., are used in treating diabetes. These drugs do have negative effects e.g. nausea and may prove ineffective after a long period of use 14 thus resulting in organ failure. Death occurs in extreme cases due to long-term complications associated with diabetes. 13 Therefore, the pursuit of new drugs from natural sources with little or no side effects is on the increase globally. Many diabetic patients especially in resource-poor settings such as Africa make use of plants and their compounds in managing diabetes and its complications. Plants are rich in phytochemicals and have been used as therapeutic agents in the treatment of various diseases over the years. It has been stated that Allium cepa and Artemisia herba have anti-diabetic effects with little or no negative effects. 15 Bioactive compounds such as quercetin, S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide from Allium cepa, tannins, and flavonoids from various plants have been reported to have anti-diabetic effects. 16,17,18 Monoterpenes such as geraniol derived from plants have been used in the treatment of some diseases. Geraniol has antioxidant, 19 anticancer, 20 anti-inflammatory, 21 antimicrobial, 22 and anti-diabetic 23 potentials. This study investigated geraniol's antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects in diabetic rat liver and kidney.
Materials and Methods
Reagents and chemicalsGeraniol was purchased from Chem Cruz (Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc. USA, Lot E2721), cytochrome c, caspase 3, and caspase 9 kits were purchased from Elabscience Biotechnology Inc. (USA) (Cat. No: E-EL-R0006 for cytochrome c, Cat. No: E-CK-A313 for caspase 9, and Cat. No: E-CK-A311 for caspase 3). Urea (Product code: BXC0123), and creatinine (Product code: BXC0111) kits from Fortress diagnostic (United Kingdom). The other reagents were of high quality.
Experimental animalsMale Wistar rats (140g -168g,) were obtained from the animal house,