Comparative antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects of four selected ethnomedicinal plants in alloxan-induced diabetic female Wistar rats

This study investigated the antidiabetic potential of methanolic extracts of Cassia absus (seeds), Gymnema sylvestre (whole plant), Nigella sativa (seeds), and Piper nigrum (fruits) in alloxan-induced diabetic female Wistar rats. Extracts were prepared using 70% methanol and administered orally at 500 mg/kg/day for 42 days, while glibenclamide (10 mg/kg/day) served as a reference drug. All plant extracts significantly (p < 0.05) reduced fasting blood glucose, attenuated body weight loss, improved glycometabolic and inflammatory markers, and decreased pancreatic oxidative stress. Notably, N. sativa and P. nigrum extracts showed superior efficacy by modulating JNK/MAPK and Nrf2/Keap1 pathways and enhancing insulin secretion compared with other extracts and glibenclamide. Histopathological findings supported these results. Overall, N. sativa and P. nigrum demonstrated the strongest antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects, while C. absus showed the least efficacy.