Red fruit (Pandanus conoideus Lam) oil ameliorates streptozotocin-induced diabetic peripheral neuropathy by targeting the oxidative and inflammatory pathways in the spinal cord in a rat model

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common comorbid in diabetic patients. Oxidative stress and inflammation are key to DPN’s etiology, making them possible therapy targets. Red fruit oil (RFO) may treat DPN due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The RFO effect in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DPN model was examined in terms of spinal cord oxidative and inflammatory functions. STZ 55 mg/kg BW intraperitoneally caused DPN. Seven weeks after induction, rats received vehicle, pregabalin, or RFO at 0.3, 0.6, or 1.2 mL/kg BW for three weeks. Post-treatment thermal hyperalgesia and cold allodynia were examined. Measurements of spinal levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), inducible nitric oxide (iNOS), and nuclear factor-kappa beta (NFκB) were used to measure oxidative and inflammatory indices. In addition, spinal histology was examined. All metrics improved after three weeks of RFO treatment. RFO at 0.6 and 1.2 mL/kg BW significantly reduced MDA, TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and NFκB while raising catalase levels. These matched thermal and cold stimulus latency improvements. Additionally, STZ-induced spinal cellular damage was reduced. This study suggests that RFO may be an alternate DPN treatment.