Antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of Armillaria gallica and Armillaria cepistipes extracts and their silver nanoparticles against streptozotocin induced diabetes in mice.

The global burden of diabetes has increased substantially over recent decades, with the number of affected individuals rising from approximately 200 million in 1990 to 830 million in 2022. In ranking, Pakistan is among the top affected countries globally. Current study is intended to assess two Armillaria spp. mushrooms for their antioxidant and antidiabetic potential. Armillaria gallica (A.G) and Armillaria cepistipes (A.C) are the two medicinal mushrooms identified for their phenolic and polysaccharide profiles. Extracts and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of Armillaria gallica and Armillaria cepistipes were prepared and characterized using UV-visible spectrophotometry, X- ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential analysis. Antioxidant activity was performed using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. The antidiabetic activity of A. gallica extract, A. Fenugreek cepistipes extract and their respective AgNPs was investigated in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice models. A total of seventy-two male albino mice were divided into twelve groups (n = 6 per group) comprising six non-diabetic groups and six diabetic groups. Control group was given normal saline, A. gallica extract (A.G; 200 mg/kg), A. cepistipes extract (A.C; 200 mg/kg), A. gallica nanoparticles (A.G AgNPs; 200 mg/kg), A. cepistipes nanoparticles (A.C AgNPs; 200 mg/kg), metformin (MET; 100 mg/kg) and streptozotocin (STZ; 150 mg/kg). Diabetes was induced using streptozotocin (150 mg/kg), and all treatments were administered orally for 28 consecutive days following diabetes induction. Organ's histopathology (pancreas, liver and kidney) was performed both qualitative and quantitative using a semi quantitative scoring system 0-12. Biochemical parameters including glutathione (GSH), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), high density lipoproteins (HDL), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and sodium oxide dismutase (SOD) were analyzed. A. cepistipes silver nanoparticles (A.C AgNPs) exhibited 58.8% DPPH radical scavenging activity at 100 µg/mL and A. gallica silver nanoparticles (A.G AgNPs) showed 57%. Activity. These results indicate moderate antioxidant potential. In in-vivo study, Armillaria nanoparticles treated groups showed greater improvement in biochemical analysis and histopathology score.