The study was designed to investigate the anti-hyperglycemic activity of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Fifty-five mg/kg of streptozotocin was injected in rats to induce diabetes. Animals either treated with SeNPs alone or with insulin (6 U/kg) showed significantly decreased fasting blood glucose levels after 28 days of treatment. The serum insulin concentration in untreated diabetic animals was also enhanced by SeNPs. The results demonstrated that SeNPs could significantly decrease hepatic and renal function markers, total lipid, total cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and glucose-6-phosphatase activity. At the same time, SeNPs increased malic enzyme, hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, liver and kidney glycogen contents, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. In addition, SeNPs were able to prevent the histological injury in the hepatic and renal tissues of rats. However, insulin injection also exhibited a significant improvement in diabetic animals after 28 days of treatment. This study suggests that SeNPs can alleviate hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, possibly by eliciting insulin-mimetic activity.
Keywords: diabetes; kidney; liver; selenium; toxicity.