Effect of Zinc-3 hydroxyflavone Complex on Carbohydrate Metabolic Enzymes in Hepatic and Renal Tissues of Streptozotocin Induced Experimental Diabetes in Rats

The exploitation of metals as therapeutic drugs becomes imperative over the last couple of decades resulting in a variety of exciting and valuable metallopharmaceutical drugs. Recently, we have designed, synthesized and characterized a novel zinc flavonol complex and its toxicity as well as antidiabetic efficacy was studied in streptozotocin-induced experimental diabetes in rats. In the present study the activities of key enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism were assayed to establish the effect of zinc flavonol complex in maintaining the glucose homeostasis. Oral treatment of zinc flavonol complex (5 mg/kg b.w/rat/day) to diabetic rats for 30 days resulted in a significant decline in blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels and a significant improvement in plasma insulin level. The altered activities of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1, 6bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase observed in liver and kidney tissues of diabetic rats were significantly reverted to near normalcy by the oral administration of zinc flavonol complex. The results of the present study indicate that the metallocomplex play a pivotal role in regulating key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism to maintain normoglycemia.