Zeolite intervention counteracts hepato-nephrotoxicity changes and regenerates insulin release in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Background and objectiveNatural products from various sources tend to be potential candidates for drug discovery. Natural and synthetic zeolites are potentially useful biopharmaceuticals and bio-tools due to their unique and outstanding physical and chemical properties; therefore, this study aimed to estimate the hepatorenal preventive and insulin release restoration efficiencies of zeolite (natural and synthetic) in STZ-induced diabetic rats.Materials and methodsPost inductions of hyperglycemia with a single (ip) dose of STZ (55 mg/kg), the rats were arranged into four groups (8 rats each): (I) normal control group, (II) STZ-diabetic rats, (III) STZ-diabetic rats treated orally with natural zeolite (300 mg/kg/day), and IV) STZ-diabetic rats treated with synthetic zeolite (300 mg/kg/day).Results and conclusionAfter 6 weeks of treatment of diabetic animals, both zeolite types markedly exhibited antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, hepato-nephroprotective, and antioxidative stress effects that were monitored from the significant reduction in glucose, ALAT, ASAT, urea, creatinine, MDA, and NO values concomitant with a significant rise in insulin, GSH, SOD and CAT values, close to the corresponding values of normal ones. Also, both zeolites succeeded to modulate STZ-induced histological distortion. In conclusion, both zeolites exhibited multi-health benefits with promising potential against STZ-induced diabetes. This effect may be attributed to the antioxidant and free radical scavenging mechanisms of zeolites that were evidenced by hepatorenal protective activities.