Naringenin ameliorates diabetic neuropathic pain by modulation of oxidative-nitrosative stress, cytokines and MMP-9 levels

) for 4 weeks starting from the 5th week of streptozotocin injection significantly attenuated behavioral, biochemical and molecular changes, along with alterations in motor nerve conduction velocity in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, diabetic rats treated with insulin-naringenin combination produced a more pronounced effect as compared to individual drugs. The major finding of the study is that insulin alone corrected the hyperglycemia and partially reversed the pain response in diabetic rats. However, combination with naringenin not only attenuated the diabetic condition but also reversed neuropathic pain through modulation of oxidative-nitrosative stress, inflammatory cytokine release and MMP inhibition in the diabetic rats. Modulation of MMP-9 by a natural flavonoid like naringenin seems to be a novel approach to target diabetic neuropathic pain.