S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide mitigates histopathological damage, alleviate oxidative stress and promotes immunomodulation in diabetic rats

Licyanne Ingrid C. Lemos; Matheus Anselmo Medeiros; João Paulo M.S. Lima; Tatiane O. Teixeira; Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo; Naisandra B.S. Farias; Flavio S. Silva; Bento João Abreu; Karina Carla P. Medeiros; Lucia Fatima C. Pedrosa

doi:10.1515/jcim-2020-0220

Article

S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide mitigates histopathological damage, alleviate oxidative stress and promotes immunomodulation in diabetic rats

Licyanne Ingrid C. Lemos , Matheus Anselmo Medeiros , João Paulo M.S. Lima , Tatiane O. Teixeira , Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo , Naisandra B.S. Farias , Flavio S. Silva , Bento João Abreu , Karina Carla P. Medeiros and Lucia Fatima C. Pedrosa

Published/Copyright: August 3, 2021

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From the journal Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine Volume 18 Issue 4

Abstract

Objectives

S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide (SMCS) is a hydrophilic cysteine-containing natural compound found in plants and is known to possess antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. We investigated the antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties of SMCS, as well as histopathological changes in the liver and pancreas in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

Methods

The rats were divided into the following groups: control (CG), comprising non-diabetic rats; STZ-DB, comprising STZ-induced diabetic rats; and STZ-SMCS, comprising STZ-induced diabetic rats treated with SMCS. SMCS (200 mg/kg) was administered by gavage daily for 30 days. Biochemical and cytokine analyses, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities assays and histopathological analysis of liver and pancreas tissues were performed.

Results

SMCS treatment reduced glycemia (p<0.05), decreased triglyceride (p<0.01) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels (p<0.01), and increased SOD and CAT activity in the liver (both p<0.01) compared with STZ-DB group. Higher activity values of IL-10 were observed in the STZ-SMCS group than in the other groups (p<0.001). Liver glycogen was significantly improved in the STZ-SMCS group compared with the STZ-DB group. SMCS also ameliorated damage to pancreatic islets, which resulted in restoration of their morphology.

Conclusions

Oral treatment of SMCS showed improvement of the morphological alterations in liver and pancreatic islet in diabetic rats. These beneficial morphological effects of SMCS can be partially explained by IL-10 modulation associated with antioxidant action.

Keywords: antioxidant effect; cytokines; morphological alterations; S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide; streptozotocin

Corresponding author: Lucia Fatima C. Pedrosa, Full Professor, Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, 3000-Lagoa Nova, CEP: 59078-970, Natal, RN, Brazil, Phone: +55 84 33422291, E-mail: lfcpedrosa@gmail.com

Research funding: Research Support Foundation of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel – CAPES (Grant 087/2015 and Finance Code 001).
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2020-06-16

Accepted: 2020-10-13

Published Online: 2021-08-03

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jcim-2020-0220

Keywords for this article

antioxidant effect; cytokines; morphological alterations; S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide; streptozotocin