Biological efficacy of zinc oxide nanoparticles against diabetes: A preliminary study conducted in mice.

The antidiabetic, hypoglycemic and oral glucose tolerance (OGTT) activities of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) were assessed in mice. ZnONPs were prepared by reacting Zn(NO3)2.6H2O and NaOH solution at 70 masculineC with continuous stirring and then characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Diabetes was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, and blood glucose level was determined by the glucose oxidase method. The experimental result revealed that ZnONPs suggestively (p<0.001) declined the blood glucose level (39.79%), while these reductions were 38.78% for the cotreatment of ZnONPs and insulin, and 48.60% for insulin, respectively. In the hypoglycemic study, ZnONPs (8 mg/kg b.w. and 14 mg/kg b.w) reduced approximate 25.13% and 29.15% of blood glucose levels, respectively. A similar reduction was found in the OGTT test, which is also a dose- and time-dependent manner. Overall, ZnONPs possess a potential antidiabetic activity, which could be validated by further mechanistic studies.