• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.369-377
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• 2014

Obesity increases oxidative stress, which could contribute to the development of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypoglycemic and antioxidant effect of sanchae-namul (SN) in mice with diet-induced obesity. Five-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a basal or high-fat and high-sucrose (HFHS) diet with or without 3% freeze-dried SN powder composed of chamnamul, daraesoon, miyeokchwi, bangpung namul, and samnamul for 12 weeks after a 1-week adaptation. After sacrifice, serum glucose and insulin were measured and the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was determined as well. Hepatic lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH), and activities of the antioxidant enzymes were determined. SN given at 3% of the total diet did not significantly influence body weight and food intake in mice fed the HFHS diet. Serum glucose and insulin levels, as well as HOMA-IR values, were significantly lower in the SN group than those in the HFHS group. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels in the liver were decreased significantly in the SN group compared with those in the HFHS group. SN significantly increased the GSH levels and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the liver compared with those in the HFHS group. Overall, these findings suggest that SN may be useful in alleviating insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in mice fed HFHS diet; further, the improvement of insulin resistance could partly occur by reducing the oxidative stress.