Diabetes mellitus is a multisystemic metabolic disorder that may affect the eyes, kidneys, vessels, and heart. Chronic hyperglycemia causes non-enzymatic glycation of proteins and elevation of the polyol pathway resulting in oxidative stress that damages organs. The current study aimed to investigate the dose-dependent effects of orally consumed Rosa damascena Mill. hydrosol on hematology, clinical biochemistry, lens enzymatic activity, and lens pathology in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced into male Sprague-Dawley rats by intraperitoneal administration of STZ (40 mg/kg body weight). Rose hydrosols containing 1515 mg/L and 500 mg/L total volatiles (expressed as citronellol) were introduced to rats orally for 45 days. Consumption of 1515 mg/L volatile containing rose hydrosol successfully ameliorated hematologic, hepatic, and renal functions. Hydrosols also attenuated hyperglycemia and decreased the advanced glycation end-product formation in a dose-dependent manner. Rose hydrosol components significantly increased the lens enzymatic activities of glutathione peroxidase and decreased the activity of aldose reductase to prevent cataractogenesis. Histopathological examinations of rat lenses also indicated that increasing the dose of rose hydrosol had a protective effect on lenses in diabetic conditions. Additionally, in silico modeling of aldose reductase inhibition with rose hydrosol volatiles was carried out for extrapolating the current study to humans. The present results suggest that rose hydrosol exerts significant protective properties in diabetes mellitus and has no toxic effect on all studied systems in healthy test groups.
Keywords: Rosa damascena; aldose reductase; cataract; clinical chemistry; diabetes; hematology; lens pathology; rose hydrosol.