Protective Effects of Lyophilized Ethanolic Extract of Achillea arabica Kotschy. on the Islet β Cells of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

In this study, an evaluation of the protective effect of lyophilized ethanolic Achillea arabica Kotschy. extract was investigated on the islets of Langerhans in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The rats were divided randomly into 5 groups: Group I: control; Group II: rats treated with STZ (50 mg kg(-1) body weight (bw)); Group III: rats treated with A. arabica (Aa) extract (400 mg kg(-1) bw); Group IV: rats with DM treated with Aa extract; and Group V: rats with DM treated with glibenclamide (2 mg kg(-1) bw) which is a standard drug used in the treatment of DM. STZ treatment caused histopathological changes in the islet and significantly lowered the islet diameter/area, beta-cell index values, and blood insulin and C-peptide levels. Administration of the extract of Aa improved the islet histology, diameter/area, and beta-cell index values, and caused significant increases in insulin and C-peptide levels similar to the rats treated with glibenclamide when compared to the diabetic rats. Our findings suggested that the Aa extract possessed protective potential on the pancreatic islets due to its repairing or regeneration impact on beta-cells.