Assessment of the Biochemical Efficacy of Gold Saussurea costus Nano-extract against Diabetes-Induced Neurochemical Alterations in the Brain of Rats

Abstract

The objective of this research was to demonstrate the biological effectiveness of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) biosynthesized using Saussurea costus extract in mitigating adverse effects in the brain of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The levels of glucose and insulin hormones were measured, along with hematological indices, as well as conventional biochemical assays for liver, heart, and kidney functions. The brain tissue homogenates were analyzed for lipid peroxidation products (LPO) and total protein carbonyl content (TPC), as well as antioxidant system indicators including reduced glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Additionally,
measurements were taken for β-amyloid (Aβ) content, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme activity, and inflammatory markers interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The study found that diabetic rats treated with native S. costus extract and gold nano-extract showed a significant (p≤0.05) increase in hematological measurements but a decrease in conventional biochemical assays. Insulin hormone levels decreased, leading to a significant reduction in glucose levels with both extracts. Furthermore, both the native extract and gold nano-extract significantly increased enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants while decreasing peroxidation reaction products (LPO and TPC) and inflammatory markers (TNF-α and IL-1β). In conclusion, both native S. costus extract and gold nanoextract showed improvements in elevated measurements caused by STZ-induced diabetes. However, only the gold nano-extract was able to bring all measurements back to normal levels.