The Protective Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Rosa canina (Dog Rose) Fruit on Liver Function and Structure in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Rats

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of Rosa canina (R. canina) extract on streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetes in rats by measuring the fasting blood glucose (FBG), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and liver enzyme activity, including serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Forty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups and treated daily for 42 days as follows: group I (control) received saline as a vehicle; group II (diabetic) received saline; groups III and IV (diabetic) treated with 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight (BW) per day R. canina extract, respectively. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg BW). At the end of the study, blood samples were collected via heart puncture and sera were used for estimation of the mentioned parameters. Then all the rats were sacrificed and their livers used for histopathological evaluations. In the untreated diabetic group, the results showed a significant increase in FBG, ALT, and AST levels compared to the other groups (p .05). In the treated groups, administration of R. canina extract significantly improved the mentioned parameters in a dose-dependent manner (p < .05). Histological evaluations indicated that R. canina extract ameliorated defective liver caused by STZ. It can be concluded that R. canina extract has a hepatoprotective effect in STZ-induced diabetes in rats. KEYWORDS: diabetes mellitus, hepatoprotective, Rosa canina, streptozotoci