Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoparticles from Amaranthus gangeticus s. and Its Anti-Diabetic Activity on Streptozotocin Induced Rats ^†

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder, elevates blood sugar levels, resulting in complications affecting various bodily systems such as the nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs. The administration of oral antihyperglycemic medications can potentially induce adverse effects, especially when combined, leading to drug–drug interactions. To address these challenges, there is potential in introducing innovative antioxidant compounds targeted at specific organs for therapeutic action. Currently, metal nanoparticles have gained prominence in healthcare due to their exceptional biocompatibility, stability, cost-effectiveness, and environmentally friendly attributes. In this study, green synthesis methods were employed to produce gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the Amaranthus gangeticus plant, known for its antidiabetic properties. The leaf extract of A. gangeticus was utilized to synthesize these green AuNPs using a 1 mM gold chloride solution. Various characterization techniques, including UV spectroscopy, FTIR analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were employed to analyse the synthesized herbal-mediated AuNPs. Additionally, the in vivo antidiabetic efficacy of the produced AuNPs was evaluated. The induction of diabetes using STZ resulted in elevated levels of blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL and a significant loss in body weight. However, these detrimental effects were mitigated after treating diabetic rats for 28 days, with significant improvements observed at a dosage range of 1 mg/kg of AuNPs compared to the group treated solely with the plant extract. The findings suggest that the plant-mediated AuNPs demonstrate significant potential as antidiabetic agents compared to the crude extract alone.