The increase in resistance of microbes against conventional drugs is currently a hot issue, whereas diabetes is another main cause of mortalities encountered throughout the world after
cancer and
heart attacks. New drug sources in the form of plants are investigated to get effective drugs for the mentioned diseases with minimum side effects. Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. is a medicinal plant used for the management of stress related disorders like diabetes and other health complications. The active constituents of the
chloroform extract derived from E. umbellata berries was isolated by
silica gel column chromatography which were identified as
morin,
phloroglucinol, and 1-hexyl
benzene through various spectroscopic techniques (electron ionization mass spectrometry, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy). The possible protective effects (
antioxidant, antibacterial, and
antidiabetic activity) of isolated compounds were evaluated using reported methods.
Morin exhibited strong in vitro antiradical potential against DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and
ABTS (2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals along with prominent antibacterial activities against selected bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella
pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis). Among the isolated compounds the more potent one (
morin) was assessed for its in vivo
antidiabetic potential in
streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. The in vivo effects observed were further confirmed in ex vivo experiments where the effect of isolated compound on
antioxidant enzyme like
glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total content of
reduced glutathione (GSH), % DPPH inhibition, and the lipid peroxidation MDA (
Malondialdehyde) level in pancreatic tissues homogenates were evaluated. In vivo
morin at tested doses (2, 10, 15, 30 and 50 mg/kg
body weight) significantly restored the alterations in the levels of fasting
blood glucose level and
body weight loss along with significant decrease in levels of
cholesterol,
triglycerides,
low density lipoprotein, HbA1c level, and significantly increased the
high-density lipoprotein in diabetic rats.
Morin also effectively ameliorated the hepatic
enzymes, and renal functions like serum
creatinine.
Morin significantly increased the
antioxidant enzyme like GPx activity, GSH content, and % DPPH inhibition activity, while reduced the lipid peroxidation MDA (
malondialdehyde) level in pancreatic tissues homogenates, and modification of histopathological changes in diabetic rats.
Morin exhibited high
antioxidant, antibacterial, and
antidiabetic potentials as compared to
phloroglucinol and 1-hexyl
benzene, that could, therefore, be considered as a promising therapeutic agent to treat
diabetes mellitus and
bacterial infections.