Protective role of pomegranate in experimental diabetic neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus. Patients with diabetic neuropathy experience symptoms such as spontaneous pain, allodynia, and hyperalgesia with an incidence rate of 10¿20%. The disorder being chronic in nature needs long term treatment to prevent the complications arising due to persistent high blood glucose level. Inspite of the presence of known anti-diabetic medicines in the pharmaceutical market due to associated side effects, high cost and their inability to alter the course of diabetic complications, there is continuous search for new therapeutic agents. In present study, neuroprotective role of Punica granatum Linn leaves in early diabetic neuropathy was evaluated in streptozotocin induced diabetic painful neuropathy in rats. In addition to its neuroprotective activity our present study also portrays the effect of chronic treatment with ethyl acetate fraction of Punica granatum on blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, serum insulin, serum lipid profile and oxidative stress parameters to understand the mechanism by which Punica granatum leaves shows antihyperglycemic activity.