Original Articles Open access

Modulatory effects of Portulaca oleracea extract on blood glucose and oxidative stress in diabetic male rats

Authors

Published
15 September 2026
Issue
Early Access
Section
Original Articles
DOI
10.4081/jbr.2026.15852

Abstract

Impaired antioxidant defenses, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH), with increased lipid peroxidation, contribute to diabetic complications. This study evaluated the effects of Portulaca oleracea ethanolic (70%) extract on blood glucose and oxidative stress markers in diabetic male rats. Twenty-four Sprague–Dawley rats were assigned to four groups (n = 6): diabetic control (DC), Diabetic + Portulaca oleracea extract (DPO) (250 mg/kg), Diabetic + metformin (DM) (100 mg/kg), and combined treatment (DMPO). By week 4 of treatment, DPO (median: 294 mg/dL, first quartile {Q1}- third quartile {Q3}: 210–366), DM (median: 125 mg/dL, Q1-Q3: 95–160), DMPO (median: 144 mg/dL, Q1-Q3: 116–280) showed significantly lower blood glucose levels than DC (median: 448 mg/dL, Q1-Q3: 419–600, p<0.05). CAT levels increased significantly in DM (median 1.1 pg/mL, Q1-Q3: 0.9-1.4) and DMPO (1.1 pg/mL, Q1-Q3: 0.9-2.4) compared to DC (0.3 pg/mL, Q1-Q3: 0.2-0.6, p= 0.001, p ≤ 0.001, respectively). DPO and DMPO had significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) (21.3 ± 3.8 ng/mL; 22 ± 1.9 ng/mL, respectively) and increased SOD (19.1 ± 3.6 ng/mL; 23.5 ± 3.9 ng/mL, respectively) compared to DC (MDA: 29.3 ± 6.1 ng/mL, SOD: 11.9 ± 2.4 ng/mL; p < 0.05). Portulaca oleracea demonstrated antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects.

Keywords

Ethics Approval

Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Research Committee of the College of Science, University of Sulaimani (Approval No. 6, dated 24/8/2025).

Data Availability Statement

All the raw data related to this study can be requested directly from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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