The effect of aqueous extract of grapevine leaf (Vitis vinifera) on pathologic feature of the pancreas in type-1 experimental diabetes: a different approach to medicinal plants

Background and Aim: There has been many studies on the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of type-1 diabetes, as a chronic metabolic disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aqueous extract of grapevine leaf (Vitis vinifera) on histopathological changes in pancreas of male Wistar rats with alloxan-induced type-1 diabetes. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 equal groups: control (C); diabetic (S); T1, T2 and T3 (diabetic animals treated with aqueous extract of grapevine leaf with doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg, respectively). The extracts were administered daily by gavage for 21 days. At the beginning and end of the study, blood glucose levels were measured. At the end of the experiment, the animals were euthanized based on the animal research ethics. We isolated the pancreases of the animals for evaluation of histopathological changes based on the following criteria: vacuolation of cells; degenerative changes; vascular hypertrophy and hyperemia. Results: Blood glucose levels in the T2 group were significantly reduced compared to those in other groups (P < 0.05). Among the diabetic groups, the highest and lowest histopathological lesions in the pancreas were observed in S and T2 groups, respectively. The histopathological lesions of the pancreas in the T3 group were less than those in the T1 group, although these differences were not significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that prescription of 400 mg/kg of grapevine leaf aqueous extract could be effective in the treatment of diabetes and improvement of its histopathological changes.