Protective role of plant antioxidants in gestational diabetes

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Biophysics, Biomedicine and Neuroscience, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

2 Department of Fundamental medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Healthcare, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

3 Institute for Bioengineering, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, 52428 Jülich Germany

4 Institute of Natural Sciences and Geography, Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University Almaty, Kazakhstan

5 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

10.22124/cjes.2025.9355

Abstract

Gestational diabetes is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and is associated with several maternal and fetal complications. This study was performed to investigate the protective effects of the extracts of two native Kazakh plants, Artemisia and Rhodiola, in an experimental model of gestational diabetes. Pregnant rats were randomly divided into healthy control groups, diabetic control groups (receiving saline), and treatment groups, which received different doses of plant extracts and metformin. Study findings demonstrated that the administration of plant extracts, in high doses, resulted in considerable improvement (p < 0.05) in metabolic indices, including decreased levels of fasting blood sugar and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and reduced MDA levels with enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Improvement in the morphology of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas and increased fetal weight and size of the nest were apparent in the treated groups. Moreover, a significant reduction in inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 were observed in the groups receiving plant extracts. This study demonstrates that the extracts of indigenous plants of Kazakhstan possess significant protective effects against the complications of gestational diabetes by an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanism and can have a high potential as a complementary therapy in the management of the disease.

Keywords

References

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Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 23, Issue 5
Special issue: Biological Researches and Envireonment, Guest Editor: Prof. Hamed Mousavi-Sabet, University of Guilan, Iran
December 2025
Pages 1135-1141

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