Therapeutic effects of Citrullus colocynths nanoparticles on Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: Improvement of pancreatic histology

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

College of Health and Medical Technique, Middle Technical University, Baghdad. Iraq.

Abstract

Objective
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder. This disorder occurs when insulin secretion is insufficient or insulin function is impaired, and blood sugar levels increase. Continuously elevated blood sugar levels cause oxidative stress and structural damage in pancreatic tissue. This damage is most commonly seen in beta cells of the islets of Langerhans. One of the medicinal plants with antidiabetic properties is colocynthia (Citrullus colocynthis). Therefore, our aim was to study the therapeutic effects of colocynthia nanoparticles (CCNPs) on pancreatic histology, insulin levels, oxidative stress markers, and blood glucose levels in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.
Materials and methods
Four groups of male Wistar rats were randomly selected. These four groups included the control group, untreated diabetic rats, diabetic rats treated with colocynthia (Citrullus colocynthis) extract, and diabetic rats treated with CCNPs. We used an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes. The treatment period was 28 days. We used standard biochemical methods to measure blood glucose and serum insulin levels. We measured the antioxidant effect of the treatments using oxidative stress parameters. We examined pancreatic tissues histologically to examine structural changes in the islets of Langerhans.
Results
Treatment with CCNPs significantly reduced blood glucose levels. In the other groups, namely the untreated diabetic and extract-treated groups, insulin levels increased significantly. Oxidative stress markers improved in the CCNP group mice. In these mice, beta cell density increased, pancreatic islet architecture was restored, and cellular destruction was reduced. On the other hand, in untreated diabetic animals, pancreatic islets were severely shrunk and beta cells were damaged. Therefore, it can be said that the therapeutic efficacy of the nanoparticle formulation is greater than that of the crude plant extract.
Conclusion
Our experimental results confirmed the protective and restorative role of Citrullus colocynthis nanoparticles on pancreatic tissue in diabetic mice. CCNPs improved blood sugar control. In addition, their use increased insulin secretion and reduced oxidative stress. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of nanoparticle-based formulations from medicinal plants may potentially provide a promising and innovative approach for diabetes management.

Keywords

References

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Agricultural Biotechnology Journal
Volume 18, Issue 2
February 2026
Pages 435-448

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