Phoenix dactylifera seeds ameliorate early diabetic complications in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Context: In Arabic folk medicine, the seeds of Phoenix dactylifera L. (Arecaceae) have been used to manage diabetes for many years. Few studies have reported the antidiabetic effect of P. dactylifera seeds; however, their effect on diabetic complications is still unexplored. Objective: The present study investigates the protective effect of P. dactylifera seeds against diabetic complications in rats. Material and methods: The aqueous suspension of P. dactylifera seeds (aqPDS) (1 g/kg/d) was orally administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for 4 weeks. The serum biochemical parameters were assessed spectrophotometrically. Furthermore, oxidative stress was examined in both liver and kidney tissues by assessment of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase, and catalase. Results: Oral administration of aqPDS significantly ameliorated the elevated levels of glucose (248 +/- 42 versus 508 +/- 60 mg/dl), urea (32 +/- 3.3 versus 48.3 +/- 5.6 mg/dl), creatinine (2.2 +/- 0.35 versus 3.8 +/- 0.37 mg/dl), ALT (29.6 +/- 3.9 versus 46.4 +/- 5.9 IU/l), and AST (73.3 +/- 13 versus 127.8 +/- 18.7 IU/l) compared with the untreated diabetic rats. In addition to significant augmentation in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, there was reduction in TBARS and NO levels and improvement of histopathological architecture of the liver and kidney of diabetic rats. Discussion and conclusion: The aqPDS showed potential protective effects against early diabetic complications of both liver and kidney. This effect may be explained by the antioxidant and free radical scavenging capabilities of P. dactylifera seeds.