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Vitamin D3 attenuates oxidative stress and regulates glucose level and leukocyte count in a semi-chronic streptozotocin-induced diabetes model

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Abstract

Purpose

Vitamin D3 (vit-D3) is a potent immunomodulator with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. We used streptozotocin (STZ)-induced rat model of diabetes (DM) to evaluate the effects of vit-D3. We measured serum biochemical parameters, interleukin-17 (IL-17), osteocalcin (OC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and immune cell count on the 21st day of experiment.

Method

A total of 24 Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups. Each group had eight rats. During the 1st day of the experiment, the control group was injected intraperitoneally with citrate buffer, while STZ group and STZ + vit-D3 group were injected by a single i.p. dose (35 mg/kg) of STZ dissolved in citrate buffer (pH 4,5; 0,1 M). Vitamin D3 was applied via oral gavage once daily to the STZ + vit-D3 group for a total period of 14 days, starting from the 7th day of the experiment.

Results

STZ rats showed a significant reduction in OC and an increase in MDA and IL-17 serum concentrations compared to the control rats. We also observed a significant STZ-associated decrease in the number of lymphocytes and a significant increase in monocyte and eosinophil number. Oral treatment with vit-D3 to STZ-induced diabetic rats significantly increased OC and decreased MDA serum levels. Furthermore, vit-D3 treatment resulted in a good regulation of hematopoiesis such as increase in the number of segmented granulocytes and lymphocytes and a reduction in the number of monocytes and eosinophils.

Conclusion

Vit-D3 treatment has important therapeutic effects; among many others it can attenuate oxidative stress and ameliorate the hyperglycemic state in the STZ-induced rat diabetic model, which is promising for further clinical trials.

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Acknowledgements

Authors want to acknowledge Dr. Andi Alijagic for critical reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, University of Sarajevo, Zmaja od Bosne 33-35 , 71 000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Maja Mitrašinović-Brulić, Muhamed Fočak & Damir Suljević

  2. Medical Faculty, Department of Human Physiology, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Amela Dervišević, Asija Začiragić & Amina Valjevac

  3. Outpatient Clinic With a Daily Hospital ‘Dr Al Tawil’, Research Unit, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Almira Hadžović-Džuvo

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  1. Maja Mitrašinović-Brulić
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Contributions

MMB, MF, AV: Methodology, validation, formal analysis; DS, AD, AZ: Conceptualization, data curation, writing original draft, writing review and editing. AMDŽ: writing original draft. The experiments were per-formed in-house, and no paper mill was used.

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Correspondence to Damir Suljević.

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Mitrašinović-Brulić, M., Dervišević, A., Začiragić, A. et al. Vitamin D3 attenuates oxidative stress and regulates glucose level and leukocyte count in a semi-chronic streptozotocin-induced diabetes model. J Diabetes Metab Disord 20, 771–779 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-021-00814-2

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