Beta-sitosterol improves the antioxidant enzyme activity in liver: High-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetic experimental study.

Background: Changes in lifestyle, such as high-calorie diet intake and lack of exercise, have increased the global prevalence of obesity and diabetes. The major pathophysiological event contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus is the target tissues to insulin action. β-sitosterol (24-ethyl cholestene-3-ol), a naturally occurring plant sterol, ubiquitously found in many plants such as wheat germ, rice bran, flax seeds, peanuts, soybean, and pumpkin seeds. It has been reported to elicit multitude of bioactivities including antihyperlipidemic and antihyperglycemic activity. Aim: The study was aimed at assessing the effect of β-sitosterol on antioxidant enzymes in high-fat diet-induced type-2 diabetic rats. Experimental Design: Adult male Wistar rats were used and divided as Group I: Control; Group II: Type-2 diabetic rats; Group III: Type-2 diabetic rats treated with β-sitosterol (20 mg/kg body weight [b.wt]/day, orally for 30 days); and Group IV: Type-2 diabetic rats treated with metformin (50 mg/kg b.wt/day, orally for 30 days). After 30 days of treatment, animals were anesthetized; liver tissues were dissected out and used for the assessment of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], glutathione peroxidase [GPx], glutathione-S-transferase [GST], and glutathione reductase [GR]). Results: SOD, CAT, GPx, GST, and GR enzyme activity was found to be significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in type-2 diabetic rats when compared with control animals. Oral administration of the plant sterol could effectively improve the activity of these enzymes (P < 0.05) to that of the control and standard drug metformin. Conclusion: The present study shows that β-sitosterol exhibits antidiabetic activity by facilitating antioxidant enzymes in the liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]