Liver Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats: Protective Role ofArtemisiaTuranica

OBJECTIVES: was evaluated against diabetes-induced liver oxidative stress and dysfunction. METHODS: extract (70 mg/kg) were orally administrated three days after STZ injection for four weeks. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total thiol content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities were measured in the liver tissue. Serum glucose concentration, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were also determined. RESULTS: extract and metformin treated groups, serum ALT, tissue MDA level, total thiol content and SOD activity significantly improved compared with the diabetic rats. However, treatment of the diabetic rats only with metformin could not significantly change the activities of catalase and AST compared with the diabetic group. CONCLUSION: extract had a therapeutic effect on liver dysfuncyion and oxidative stress induced by diabetes, that may be probably due to its antioxidant and antiinflammatory effects.