Basic Study
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World J Diabetes. Mar 15, 2025; 16(3): 97336
Published online Mar 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i3.97336
Glabridin and gymnemic acid alleviates choroid structural change and choriocapillaris impairment in diabetic rat’s eyes
Udomlak Matsathit, Manaras Komolkriengkrai, Wipapan Khimmaktong
Udomlak Matsathit, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Science and Technology, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani 94000, Thailand
Manaras Komolkriengkrai, Wipapan Khimmaktong, Department of Anatomy, Division of Health and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand
Author contributions: Khimmaktong W and Komolkriengkrai M contributed to conceptualization; Khimmaktong W contributed to methodology, supervision, data curation, project administration, writing original draft preparation, writing, review, editing and funding acquisition; Komolkriengkrai M contributed to software; Khimmaktong W, Matsathit U and Komolkriengkrai M contributed to validation; Matsathit U and Komolkriengkrai M contributed to formal analysis, resources; Khimmaktong W and Matsathit U contributed to investigation; Matsathit U contributed to visualization; All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by the Prince of Songkla University Research Fund, No. SCI6302040S.
Institutional review board statement: This study does not involve any human experiments.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: The Prince of Songkla University Animal Ethics Committee gave its stamp of approval to every experimental technique that was carried out utilized (No. MHCSI 6800.11/236).
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: statement: All authors have accepted DATA sharing.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Wipapan Khimmaktong, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Division of Health and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Kanjanavanich Road, Kohong, Hat Yai 90110, Songkhla, Thailand. wipapan.k@psu.ac.th
Received: May 28, 2024
Revised: November 11, 2024
Accepted: December 25, 2024
Published online: March 15, 2025
Processing time: 238 Days and 1.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Small blood vessels in the eyes are more susceptible to injury, which can lead to complications. However, since diabetic retinopathy is often a serious clinical condition, most of this study focuses on the vascular system of the choroid. As part of this study, we looked at how gymnemic acid (from Gymnema sylvestre) and glabridin (from Glycyrrhiza glabra, or licorice) might help diabetic rats’ choroid structural change and blood vessels.

AIM

To explore the effects of glabridin and gymnemic acid on the structural changes of the choroidal layer and choriocapillaris as well as the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cluster of differentiation (CD) 31 in diabetic rat’s eye.

METHODS

The male Wistar rats were separated into five groups: The control group (control), the diabetic group (DM), the diabetic rats treated with glabridin 40 mg/kg body weight (DM + GB), the diabetic rats treated with gymnemic acid 400 mg/kg body weight (DM + GM), and the diabetic rats treated with glyburide 4 mg/kg body weight (DM + GR).

RESULTS

There was an increase in the thickness of both the choroid layer and the wall of the arteries in the DM. A decrease in vascularity and choroidal impairment was found in DM rats. After eight weeks of experimentation, the choroidal thickness increased, and the walls of choroid arteries. The choroidal thickness in the DM + GB was 15.69 ± 1.54 μm, DM + GM was 14.84 ± 1.31, and DM + GR groups was 16.45 ± 1.15 when compared with DM group (27.22 ± 2.05), the walls thickness of choroid arteries in the DM + GB was 10.23 ± 1.11, DM + GM was 10.41 ± 1.44, and DM + GR was 9.80 ± 1.78 when compared with DM group (16.35 ± 5.01), The expression of VEGF and CD31 was lower compared to the DM group.

CONCLUSION

In diabetic choroidopathy, hyperglycemia and inflammation cause damage to the neurovascular unit and blood-retinal barrier. Anti-VEGF treatments can slow or reverse the progression of the disease. According to current research findings, glabridin and gymnemic acid can reduce damage to the choroid, which is a factor that can sometimes result in vision loss.

Keywords: Diabetes; Choroid; Gymnemic acid; Glabridin; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Cluster of differentiation 31; Choriocapillaris

Core Tip: To investigate the effects of glabridin and gymnemic acid on the choroidal layer and choriocapillaris in diabetic rats’ eyes, as well as the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and cluster of differentiation 31. Five groups were created out of the Wistar rats. In the diabetic group, there was an increase in the thickness of both the choroid layer and the wall of the arteries as well as choroidal impairment. The choroidal thickness, and the walls of the choroid arteries in diabetic rats treated with glabridin 40 mg/kg body weight, the diabetic rats treated with gymnemic acid 400 mg/kg body weight, and the diabetic rats treated with glyburide 4 mg/kg body weight groups all rose. When compared to the group with diabetes, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and cluster of differentiation 31 was shown to be lower.