Isolation, characterization, and therapeutic activity of bergenin from marlberry (Ardisia colorata Roxb.) leaf on diabetic testicular complications in Wistar albino rats.

Bergenin is one of the phytochemical constituents in marlberry (Ardisia colorata Roxb.) having antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. A. colorata has been used as an herbal medicine in Southeast Asia particularly in Northeast India to treat diabetes. Bergenin was isolated from methanol extract of A. colorata leaf (MEACL) by column chromatography and TLC profiling. Characterization and structural validation of bergenin were performed by spectroscopic analyses. A LC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed for the quantitation of bergenin and validated as per the guidelines of FDA and EMA. The validated method was successfully utilized to quantify bergenin concentration in MEACL samples. Therapeutic efficacy of bergenin was investigated on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by following standard protocols. Bergenin supplementation significantly improved the physiological and metabolic processes and in turn reverses diabetic testicular dysfunction via increasing serum testosterone concentrations and expression pattern of PCNA, improving histopathological and histomorphometric manifestations, modulating spermatogenic events and germ cell proliferation, restoring sperm quality, reducing sperm DNA damage, and balancing the antioxidant enzymes levels. Hence, A. colorata leaf is one of the alternate rich resources of bergenin and could be used as a therapeutic agent for diabetic testicular complications.