Effects of alcoholic extract of Alhagi maurorum on the expression level of hepatic Caspase-3 gene in male Wistar rats following the induction of diabetes mellitus

Background: Many diseases, including diabetes, are involve in the development of liver disorders through changes in the expression of genes such as Caspase-3. In the present study, the impact of alcoholic extract of Alhagi maurorum on the expression level of liver Caspase-3 gene was investigated in male Wistar rats following the induction of diabetes mellitus by streptozotocin. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 42 male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups. The control group was left untreated, the diabetic control group received one dose of 70 mg/kg streptozotocin, the experimental groups 1 and 2 received 250 and 500 mg/kg Alhagi maurorum alcoholic extract peritoneally respectively, and the experimental groups 3 and 4 first received streptozotocin followed by 250 and 500 mg/kg extracts respectively. To investigate the expression level of the Caspase-3 gene, liver samples were obtained from all the groups, and were evaluated using real time PCR. Results: The expression of Caspase-3 gene, against β actine, increased significantly in experimental groups compared to the control group, while diabetic groups received extract showed reduced gene expression compared to the streptozotocin group. Conclusion: It appears that Alhagi maurorum extract is effective in reducing hepatic gene expression of Caspase-3, which increases after using streptozotocin. This effect is possibly due to the anti-oxidants contents, such as flavonoids and anthocyanins.