The mixture was filtered, concentrated in a vacuum evaporator, and then lyophilized. Using this procedure, the yield was 22% of the starting dry weight of the leaves. The final extract was kept in an air-tight container at -80°C until it was used. Induction of Diabetes Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal

injection of 50 mg/kg body weight Streptozotocin (STZ) dissolved in 0.1 M citrate buffer (pH 4.5). Seven days after STZ injection, the blood was collected from the tail vein to determine the fasting blood glucose level. Rats with blood glucose >300 mg/dl were considered diabetic. The experiment was Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical carried out 5 days after the confirmation of the existence of diabetes mellitus. Experimental Design Thirty healthy adult male Wistar rats (8 weeks old), weighting about 250±10 g, were obtained from the Animal House Unit of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. They were kept under controlled Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical conditions with a regular light cycle (12; 12 h light;

dark cycle). During the experiment, the rats had free access to food and water. All the animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Using a random number table, the rats were divided into three groups with 10 rats in each group and were treated through a gavage tube for a period Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of 2 months as follows: 1) non-diabetic rats with distilled water (control); 2) diabetic rats with distilled water; and 3) diabetic rats with MAE extract at the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical dose of 1 g/kg per day. At the end of the 8th week, all the rats were BMS-907351 in vitro euthanized by an overdose of anesthetic drug. Blood samples were collected into a tube and serum was separated

for the determination of glucose, insulin, and free Ts. The Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical testes were separated and washed with ice cold 0.9% NaCl, blotted dry, decapsulated, and homogenized at 4°C in 50 mM phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.4). Homogenate was centrifuged at 10,000×g for 10 min at 4°C, and the supernatant was used to measure GR and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The total protein content of the supernatant was determined using the Bradford method.12 Measurement of Serum Glucose, Insulin, and Free Ts Serum glucose level was measured using a commercial kit (Pars Azmoon Company, Tehran, Iran) based on the hexokinase method. Serum isothipendyl insulin and free Ts concentrations were measured using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (DRG instruments, GmbH, Marburg, Germany).  Biochemical Analysis of Testicular Antioxidant Status MDA, an indirect index of lipid peroxidation, was assayed as TBARS (thiobarbituric reactive substance) using a colorimetric method.13TBARS concentration was calculated using 1,1,3,3-tetramethoxypropane as a standard. The results are expressed as nanomoles per mg protein. GPx was measured as described by a previous study.