ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES AND ANTI-DIABETIC EFFICACY OF A POLYHERBAL FORMULATION ADVOCATED IN THE SOUTHWEST OF ALGERIA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES: IN VITRO, IN VIVO, AND MOLECULAR DOCKING INVESTIGATIONS Authors: Abdelkrim Mlouki, Wafâa Tehami, Lahcene Kardja, Malika Bahiani, Abdelhafid NANI Journal: Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (JAPS) ISSN: 1018-7081 (Print), 2309-8694 (Online) Volume: 36 Issue: 6 Year: 2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.6.0139 URL: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2026.6.0139 Publisher: Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum Abstract:

Diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of worldwide mortality, and current diabetes medications have serious adverse effects. Therefore, herbal medicine is gaining popularity as a complementary treatment for diabetes. This study investigated the polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of a polyherbal formulation (PHF), which is used in traditional medicine in the Adrar region (Southwestern Algeria) for the management of diabetes mellitus. We also investigated the anti-diabetic activity of infusions from PHF (i.e., PHFI, 0.5%, and 1%) and PHF-based diets (i.e., PHFD, 25% and 50%) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Thirty male Wistar rats were used in this study and randomly divided into six groups (n=5 per group) using a completely randomized design (CRD). Diabetes was induced by a single (i.p) injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg), followed by oral administration of either PHF infusions or diets for 28 days. A molecular docking analysis using AutoDock Vina was conducted to predict the binding affinity of p-Coumaric acid (p-CA), the most dominant phenolic compound found in the main PHF ingredients towards four diabetes-related target proteins (AMPK, LKB1, ChREBP, and TBC1D1). Phytochemical assessment revealed the abundance of tannins, flavonoids, and polyphenols (0.87 mg CE/100 g DW, 0.82 mg CE/g DW, and 1.43 mg GAE/g DW, respectively) in the crude extract of the PHF. In vitro DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays revealed that the crude extract of PHF possesses significant antioxidant activity against all tested radicals, with an IC50 of 0.025 mg/mL for DPPH. Most experimental groups (i.e., PHFD, 25%; PHFD, 50%; and PHFI, 1%) demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) improvement in glycemia, corticosterone levels, hepatic biomarkers, and lipid profile (HDL, LDL, TG, and TC). In silico results indicate that p-CA demonstrates superior binding affinities and interactions with the target proteins compared to metformin, with binding affinities of −6.6, −5.6, −6.5, and −5.5 kcal/mol for AMPK, LKB1, ChREBP, and TBC1D1, respectively. The considerable anti-hyperlipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic activities of the studied FPH validate its application in complementary and alternative medicine for diabetes management.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Wistar rat, polyherbal formulation (PHF), antioxidant, molecular docking