Improvement of Morus Alba Leaves on Diabetic/Aluminum Intoxicated Rats

Phytotherapy is frequently considered to be less toxic and free from side effects than synthetic drugs.The present study was designed to investigate the protective use of crude water extract of Morus alba leaves on body weight,and retinopathy of rat pups maternally subjected to either diabetes and/or aluminum intoxicated. Application of this extract resulted in amelioration of the alterations of maternal serum glucose and aluminum concentration and aluminum levels in cerebellum of mothers as well as their pups at 14 days old.The retina,cerebellar cortex and cervical spinal cord of pups at different ages of either diabetic and/or aluminum intoxicated mothers exhibited massive cytopathological alterations of all layers.The ependymal canal of diabetic mother appeared congested with marked hyperplasia of their ependymal cells,and possessed widespread of pyknotic nuclei, and increased incidence of DNA fragmentation and apoptosis cell death. However, protection with Morus alba extract led to amelioration of the pathological alterations and the effects of the extract might be attributed to the hypoglycaemic and antioxidative potential of flavonoids, the major components of the extract.