Objective   To investigate protective effect of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) on pancreatic iron metabolism disorder and its mechanism in diabetic rats.

  Methods   Healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a control group (n = 10) and diabetes group (30 rats with two intraperitoneal injections of 30 mg/kg streptozotocin); then the rats of diabetes group were further randomly assigned to a model group, a low and a high GSPE groups (by intragastric administration at dosages of 100 and 250 mg/kg once a day continuously for two weeks). By the end of the treatments, all rats′ blood samples were collected for determinations of glucose and insulin level; the specimens of the rats′ pancreatic tissues were also sampled for detections of transferrin (TF)/TF receptor (TFR)/iron, superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) with kit method.

  Results   Significantly increases in blood glucose, pancreatic tissues′ TF, TFR, iron, MDA and decreases in blood insulin, pancreatic tissues′ SOD, GSH, GSH-PX activity were detected in the model rats compared to those in the control rats (P < 0.05 for all). The rats of GSPE dose groups had significantly higher blood insulin, pancreatic tissues′ SOD, GSH, GSH-PX activity but lower pancreatic tissues′ TF, TFR, iron in comparison to the model rats (all P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that the pancreatic tissues′ TF, TFR, iron were positively associated with blood glucose and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the rats.

  Conclusion  Proanthocyanidin has a protective effect on pancreas and the effect may be related to the regulation of iron metabolism disorder and reduction of oxidative damage in diabetic rats.