Hypoglycemic and tissue protective effects of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) on diabetes associated periodontal tissue alterations.

Current research aimed to evaluate the effects of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) on serum glucose levels and periodontal ligament (PDL) architecture in hyperglycemic diabetic rat models, with particular focus on PDL collagen integrity and alveolar bone status. A total of forty-eight male Dawley rats (150-200 g, 3-6 months) were randomly allocated into three equal groups (n = 16): control, diseased diabetic (DM), and mangosteen (MG) treated diabetic (DM-MG) groups. Diabetes was induced in both DM and DM-MG groups employing streptozotocin (STZ), with only DM-MG group undergoing MG treatment. Serum glucose and body weight recorded weekly for 35 days. All euthanized rats were subjected for histological assessment utilizing hematoxylin and eosin stain, and morphometric evaluation of collagen integrity using Masson's trichrome stain. RUNX-2, a transcription factor associated with osteogenic differentiation was assessed by immunohistochemistry and ELISA to evaluate osteogenic activity and alveolar bone status. Control group reported consistent weight gain, but DM group experienced considerable weight loss and increased serum glucose levels. DM-MG group showed substantial improvements in both metrics. Histologically, DM group revealed signs of PDL structural disruption, whilst DM-MG group displayed partial improvement in PDL organization and attenuation of diabetes-induced structural alterations. Collagen density and RUNX-2 activity were considerably higher in DM-MG group versus DM group. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant differences among the studied groups, DM-MG group showed significantly higher collagen area % and RUNX-2 expression compared to the DM group (Tukey: p ≤ 0.05 for collagen, p ≤ 0.001 for RUNX-2 IHC and ELISA), alongside improvement in body weight and serum glucose levels over the 35-day period (Two-way RM-ANOVA: p ≤ 0.001). MG exhibited notable hypoglycemic and partially attenuated diabetes-associated PDL tissue alterations, indicating its potentiality as a natural adjunctive therapeutic agent for managing diabetes and its associated periodontal alterations.