• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.670-677
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• 2007

Although polysaccharide is believed to play an important role in the medicinal effect of Dendrobium chrysotoxum Lindl (DCL), its role as an antioxidant and in anti-hyperglycemic induction was not reported. In this study, polysaccharide with molecular weight of approximately 150 kDa, herein named DCLP, was isolated from the stem of DCL, and its antioxidative, hypoglycemic and immune stimulating effects were evaluated using various in vitro and in vivo assay systems. DCLP inhibited hydroxyl radicals ($^{\cdot}$OH)-mediated deoxyribose degradation by scavenging hydroxyl radicals directly as well as by chelating iron ions. DCLP also showed dose-dependent scavenging activity on superoxide anions ($O_2^{{\cdot}-}$) and offered significant protection (p < 0.001) against glucose oxidase-mediated cytotoxicity in Jurkat cells. DCLP had immune stimulating effects, as evidenced by the DCLP-mediated increases in the level of DNA synthesis, viability, and cytokine secretion in mouse lymphocytes. Moreover, oral administration of DCLP produced a significant reduction in blood glucose level in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. These findings suggest that DCLP has a potential utility in treating patients who require enhanced antioxidation, immune function and/or hypoglycemic activity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.10
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• pp.981-989
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• 2003

The hypoglycemic effects of four edible plants (Angelicae tenuissimae (A. ten.), Pleurospermum kamtschaticum (P. kam.), Adenophora remotiflora (A. rem.) and Zanthoxylum schinifolium (Z. sch.)) in streptozotocin (STZ) -induced diabetic rats were investigated. Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing 190-230 g were induced diabetes mellitus by the STZ injection (45 mg/kg) into the tail vein and were divided into six groups ; normal, STZ-control and four edible plant groups (A. ten., P kam., A. rem. and Z. sch. groups). Normal and STZ-control groups were fed a AIN-93 diet and four groups of STZ-induced diabetic rats were fed one of each experimental diets containing 10％ of the edible plant powder for 4 weeks. Diabetic rats showed the lower weight gain compared to the normal rats. In experimental groups except P. kam., AST activities were close to normal. A. ten. group were lowered ALT activities slightly. The plasma glucose levels of the diabetic experimental groups were significantly decreased at 4th week. The plasma insulin levels in diabetic experimental groups were not significantly different compared to the STZ-control group. The liver glycogen levels in STZ injected rats were significantly lower in compared to the normal rats. However no significant differences were found in response experimental plants intake in diabetic rats. The muscle glycogen were not significantly different among all the groups.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.225-232
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• 1991

The hypoglycemic and metabolic effects of Commelina communis L. extract were investigated in alloxan-diabetic rats. The increased blood glucose level in the diabetic rats was significantly lowered and the loss of body weight in the diabetic rats was recovered with the treatments of the crude extract. Administration of the extract elicited the significant increase of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and liver weight which were decreased in the alloxan-treated rat serum and liver. On the other hand, the kidney weight and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity were increased in the alloxan treated rat kidney and were potentiated by the treatment of the extract. In both liver and kidney, together with serum, alkaline phosphatase and ATPase activities were increased in the alloxan diabetic rats and were not recovered, rather potentiated by the administration of the extract.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.258-268
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• 2010

This study was conducted to examine the hypoglycemic effects of complexcity extract(DB 55) from five oriental medicinal plants on the intake of food, body weight, blood glucose level, insulin content, serum GOP, GPT, BUN and hematocrit value in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. General nutritional composition was also assessed. Thirty- five male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to five groups : normal control group(NC), STZ-diabetic control group (STZ-control), STZ-diabetic DB-1 group(DB 55-1), STZ-diabetic DB-2 group(DB 55-2) and STZ-diabetic DB-3 group(DB 55-3). The animals were fed an experimental diet for 12 weeks. Body weight gain of the STZ-diabetic group was significantly lower but diet intake was significantly higher than the NC group. Blood glucose levels of the DB-1, DB-2 and DB-3 rats were significantly lower than the STZ-control animals. Insulin level of STZ-control rats was lower than the NC serum GOT, GPT and BUN levels were significantly higher in the NC group, but hematocrit value was not significant as compare to the STZ-diabetic group. Blood glucose level was lower observed for the DB 55-1, DB 55-2 and DB 55-3 group. The results will be useful in oriental diet therapy and in the developing functional food resources.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.622-628
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• 2014

The aim of this work is to evaluate the potential of oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa Makino) seeds for the management of type 2 diabetes by controlling glucose absorption. The ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase inhibitory effects of the hexane extracts from oriental melon seeds were investigated. A bioassay-guided fractionation technique was used to elucidate the principal active components. The results show that the hexane extract from oriental melon seeds exhibited high inhibitory activities against ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and ${\alpha}$-amylase. The hexane extract was further fractionated into four sub-fractions. Among them, the sub-fraction F-1 exhibited the most potent anti-diabetic effect. The active components were isolated and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Free fatty acids showed significant hypoglycemic activity (p < 0.001) and fatty acid composition influenced enzyme inhibitory activities. These results suggest that oriental melon seeds could be used to prevent type 2 diabetes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.921-925
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• 2003

To control blood glucose level as close to normal is the major goal of treatment of diabetes mellitus. $\alpha$-glucosidase is the enzyme to digest dietary carbohydrate and inhibition of $\alpha$-glucosidase could suppress postprandial hyperglycemia. The methanol extract of soybean sprout was tested for the inhibitory activities against $\alpha$-glucosidase in vitro. Soybean sprout extract inhibited yeast $\alpha$-glucosidase activity by 24.5% at the concentration of 5 mg/mL. The methanol extract of soybean sprout was subsequently subjected to sequential fractionation with hexane, ethyl acetate, butanol and water. Among the fractions tested ethyl acetate-soluble fraction showed relatively strong inhibition against $\alpha$-glucosidase by 36.3% at the concentration of 5 mg/mL. Acarbose, standard $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibitor, inhibited $\alpha$-glucosidase activity by 40.1%. The ability of soybean sprout extract to lower postprandial glucose was studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Starch solution (1 g/kg) with and without the methanol extract of soybean sprout (500 mg/kg) was administered to diabetic rats after an overnight-fast by gastric intubation. A single oral dose of soybean sprout extract inhibited the increase in blood glucose levels significantly at 60, 90, 120, 180 min (p<0.05) and decreased incremental response areas under the glycemic response curve significantly (p<0.05). These results suggest that soybean sprout might exert hypoglycemic effect by inhibiting $\alpha$-glucosidase activity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.443-448
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• 1996

The effects of Taheebo on the diabetic-piegnant rats and their fetus was investigated. It has been reported that diabetic condition of the pregnant rats can affect the process of liver formation and damage the respiratory function in the fetus. Therefore we investigated the effects of Taheebo on the prevention of liver damage and respiratory failure in the fetus and those results were compared with that of dexamethasone (DXM). In pregnant rats, streptozotocin(STZ, 45 mg/kg, 0.01 M citrate buffer) was injected into the pregnant rats on the third day of pregnancy. Methanol extracts of Taheebo(500 mg/kg p.o.) was administered once daily during pregnancy. DXM (10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/g i.p.) was injected into the pregnant rats in 16th and 18th days of pregnancy. Body weights were measured and fetal number and abortion rate in pregnancy rats were determined. Lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in amniotic fluid and malondialdehyde, glycogen, triglyceride, protein and cholesterol levels in the liver homogenate were determined. Also blood glucose level was analyzed. Body weights of maternal rats were increased in the all groups except the DXM group. Fetal number of the Taheebo treated group was similar to the control group, and a significant increase in the body weights of fetus was observed in the STZ treated group and the Taheebo treated group compared with the control group. Blood glucose of fetus produced hypoglycemia in the control group and hyperglycemia in the diabetic-pregnant rats. The protein and cholesterol levels in fetus liver were significantly increased in the DXM treated group compared with the control group. Triglyceride content was significantly increased in all groups compared with the control group. Liver malondialdehyde level of fetus in the STZ treated group was similar to the control group. Glycogen level was significantly increased in the all groups compared with the control group. Methanol extract of Taheebo showed hypoglycemic effect on the pregnant rats. However, we could not observe any hypoglycemic effect on the fetus. There's no difference between the control and Taheebo treated group in terms of the levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, protein and glycogen in the fetus liver. Further study to identify the effect of Taheebo on the fetus is under investigation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.198-209
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• 1992

The decreased activities of liver enzymes relating to carbohydrate metabolism such as glucose- 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and acetyl CoA carboxylase of streptozotocin injected rats were significantly modified by the intraperitoneal injection of ginseng saponin mixture and/or purified ginsenosides. However, several enzymes such as pyruvate kinase, malic enzyme and glycogen phosphorylase were not modified appreciably by the saponin administration, suggesting that the effect of ginseng saponin might be depend upon individual enzymes. Examination of liver enzymes by liver professing technique using perfusion buffer containing saponin (10-3%) showed that the ginseng saponin might stimulate insulin biosynthesis as well as the related enzyme activities.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.238-248
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• 1994

The hypoglycemic and metabolic effects of Commelina communis L. extract were investigated in alloxan induced diabetic rats. The increased blood glucose level in the diabetic rats was significantly reduced and the loss of body weight was recovered with the treatment of the plant protein fractions($30{\sim}70%$ ammonium sulfate precipitates). Administration of the plant protein fractions elicited the significant increase of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-P DH) activity and liver weight which were decreased in the diabetic rat liver. G-6-P DH was partially purified from extract- or insulin-treated diabetics, diabetic control, and normal rat liver and studied for the biochemical properties. The $K_m$ value(9.002 mM) of diabetic rat liver enzyme was greatly higher than that (0.033 mM) of normal enzyme indicating the affinity of enzyme for the substrate was significantly reduced in the diabetic rat liver. This reduced affinity of enzyme for the substrate in the diabetic rat was recovered in the extract- or insulin-treated rat liver enzyme having 0.164 or 0.208 mM of their $K_m$ values, respectively. Although there was no significant difference in the optimum pH(6.0) and optimum temperature($37^{\circ}C$) of enzyme among the experimental groups, the dependence of their activities on pH appeared to be slightly resistant in the extract- or insulin-treated group compared to the diabetic group. In order to investigate the antigenicity of rat liver enzyme among experimental groups, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out by using anti-G-6-P DH anti-serum. Absorbance(0.102) shown in the normal rat liver was reduced even below zero in the alloxan-diabetic rat liver, but increased again in the extract- or insulin-treated rat liver(0.096 or 0.118, respectively). The result of this study suggested that G-6-P DH may be used as a marker enzyme to diagnose and to indicate the progress of the diabetics, and the hypoglycemic effect of the extracts of Commelina communis L. was certainly associated with action or mode of G-6-P DH on the rat liver.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.472-477
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• 2004

Hypoglycemie effect of Moutan Radicis Cortex (MRC) extract contained in Yukmijihuang-hwan was determined by investigating insulin-sensitizing and ${\alpha}-glucoamylase-suppressing$ actions. MRC was extracted with 70% ethanol, fractionated by XAD-4 column chromatography with mixture solvent of methanol and water, and utilized for hypoglycemic effect assay. Significant insulin sensitizing activities of MRC extracts were observed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, giving MRC extracts with 1 ng/mL insulin reach glucose uptake level increased by 50 ng/mL of insulin alone. MRC methanol extracts of 20, 40, 60, and 80% suppressed ${\alpha}-glucoamylase$ activity in vitro. Peak serum glucose levels and area under curve were lower in Sprague Dawley male rats treated with MRC ethanol extract than those treated with cellulose in oral glucose tolerance test using 2 g dextrin/kg body weight. These data suggest MRC extracts contain effective insulin -sensitizing and ${\alpha}-glucoamylase-suppressing$ compounds for hypoglycemic activity.