Preventive and management approach of triptonide, a diterpenoid compound against streptozotocin-induced diabetic retinopathy in Wistar rat model

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a serious complication in the patients with diabetes, which develops due to the increased blood glucose status. DR is a severe condition, which may causes permanent vision loss in many diabetic patients worldwide. The current experimentation was dedicated to disclose the healing property of triptonide against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DR in Wistar rats via regulation of inflammatory markers and crucial metabolic factors. DR was induced to the animals via injecting the one-time dosage of STZ (60 mg/kg) through intraperitoneal route. The DR rats was then orally administered with 25 mg/kg of triptonide for 60 days. The animal bodyweight and level of blood glucose was assessed. The triglycerides, LDL, cholesterol, HDL, inflammatory, and oxidative stress markers were measured using corresponding available standard kits. The status of MCP-1, MMP-9 and VEGF was enumerated by available commercial kits. The morphometric investigation of animal retina tissues was also measured. The relative protein expressions of apoptotic markers like Bax, Bcl-2 and its combined ratio as well measured. Overall triptonide administration effectively reduced the food consumption and glucose level and enhanced the body mass of STZ induced rats. The TNF-α, IL- 1β & 6, TG, LDL, cholesterol and HDL, MCP-1, MMP-9 and VEGF status was considerably down regulated by the triptonide treatment. Our compound triptonide also enhanced the levels of antioxidants; with improved morphometric measures like retinal thickness, cell numbers and reduced alterations in islets ultrastructure morphology by histopathological examination. Ultimately, our outcomes recognized that the triptonide ameliorated the STZ-induced diabetic retinopathy in wistar rats.

Keywords

• Diabetic retinopathy
• Triptonide
• Streptozotocin
• Inflammation
• Apoptosis