Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic condition, is now recognized as one of the major global health issues. Hyperglycaemia, either from insufficient insulin production by pancreas or from body's resistance to the insulin, is a defining feature of the condition. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2014 that roughly 8.5% of persons who were 18 years of age and older had DM, and in 2016, WHO estimated a prevalence of 9,8% in South African population. The heart, blood vessels, eyes, vitals, kidneys, and nerves are just a few of the body parts that diabetes can harm over time. Numerous studies have suggested a connection between type 1 diabetic mellitus (T1DM) and the onset and advancement of neuropathy. The current form of treatment is rather expensive and not readily available to the average income person.
The purpose of this study was to ascertain if Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus) leaf extract could protect the adult Sprague Dawley rat forebrain against type 1 diabetes- induced neuropathology. For this investigation, forty adult Sprague Dawley rats' brains were utilized. After being cut into sections, brain tissue was processed for histology. The Nissl-stained rat hippocampus were utilized to measure volume and neuronal density. The Shapiro Wilks test was used to determine normality of data. P<
0.05 was utilized as the significant level.
As indicated by stress markers and other tests like Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Elisa) technique, the study was expected to identify the Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus-induced histomorphological changes and underlying mechanisms that may help researchers understand the effect of leaf extracts from C. roseus on reducing or controlling the development or progression of diabetic neuropathy. The study showed that indeed there was diabetic neuropathy caused by Streptozotocin induction as shown by the volume decreases and structural changes in the hippocampus and its Détente Gyrus, Granular Cell Layer and Cornu Ammonis 3 zones. The biomarkers also indicated that C. roseus and metformin had an ameliorative effect on inflammatory and oxidative characteristics of Type 1 diabetes.