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The type 2 diabetes is one of the major global health issues that affects millions of people. This study evaluated the antidiabetic activity of aqueous extracts (AECP) and methanol extracts (MECP) from Ceiba pentandra trunk bark on an experimental model of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This model was induced in rats by the combination of a high-fat diet (HFD) and a single dose of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) at the seventh day of experimentation. Diabetes was confirmed on day 10 by fasting blood glucose more than or equal to 200 mg/dL. Diabetic animals still under HFD were treated orally and twice daily, with MECP and AECP (75 and 150 mg/kg) or metformin (40 mg/kg) for 14 days. During the experiment, blood glucose and animal weights were determined. Oral glucose tolerance test was performed on day 15, followed by animals sacrifice for blood, liver, and pancreas collection. Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were evaluated in plasma, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase, and catalase were quantified in tissue homogenates. AECP and MECP significantly reduced the hyperglycemia by up to 62% and significantly improved the oral glucose tolerance test. The impaired levels of cholesterol and triglycerides registered in diabetic control were significantly reversed by both extracts at all the doses used. Alterations in diabetic pancreas weight, GSH, and MDA were also significantly reversed by plant extracts. AECP and MECP possess type 2 antidiabetic effects that could result from their ability to improve the peripheral use of glucose, lipid metabolism or from their capacity to reduce oxidative stress. These finding provide a new avenue for better control and management of early or advanced T2D.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are required for cellular functioning and are controlled by anti‐oxidants. The ROS influence the follicles, oocytes, endometrium, and their environment. The luteinizing hormone surge initiates a massive recruitment of ROS that modulates major reproductive functions namely, oocyte maturation, ovarian steroidogenesis, corpus luteal function, and luteolysis. The anti‐oxidant system balances ROS generation and maintains the cellular functions. Both enzymatic and non‐enzymatic anti‐oxidants namely, vitamins and minerals are present in the follicles and protect the oocytes from the damaging effects of ROS. The overproduction of ROS leads to oxidative stress that affects the quality of oocytes and subsequent anovulation. Although researchers have tried to establish the role of ROS and anti‐oxidants in oocyte development, still this aspect needs to be revisited. This review discusses the importance of the ROS and anti‐oxidant balance that is required for the development and maturation of oocytes. There are increasing data on the activity of ROS and anti‐oxidants in supporting oocyte development and maturation. However, extensive research is required to identify the safe physiological concentration and duration of both the ROS and anti‐oxidants that are required to facilitate oocyte development and maturation during in vitro and in vivo conditions.

A sensitive and simple HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous quantification of berberine and lysergol in rat plasma. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column using isocratic elution with methanol–acetonitrile–0.1% ortho-phosphoric acid (25:20:55, v/v/v), pH adjusted to 6.5 with triethylamine and detected at a UV wavelength of 230 nm. The extraction of the berberine and lysergol from the rat plasma with methylene chloride resulted in their high recoveries (82.62 and 90.17%). HPLC calibration curves for both berberine and lysergol based on the extracts from the rat plasma were linear over a broad concentration range of 50–1000 ng/mL. The limit of quantification was 50 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-day precisions were

This study reports that administration of TSH in young female mice results in a concomittant augmentation of SOD activity in the thyroid gland. A strong thyroid-adrenal interdependence was also evident in the form of a marked loss of SOD activity in the adrenal gland in response to TSH administration. Very recently SOD/O.−2 system had been identified as a potent H2O2 generator which provides substrate for the action of key enzyme in thyroxine and progesterone biosynthesis, viz, the peroxidase. Thus, these results strongly suggest that trophic hormones tonically stimulate hormone biosynthesis by modulating activation/suppression of specific enzymes, which could be the basis of the tuning sequence.