Abstract
BackgroundAlthough aged garlic extract (AGE) shares some active components with fresh garlic and in spite of its palatability and milder side effects, the anti-diabetic and related anti-oxidant properties of AGE have not been investigated extensively, and the reported findings are inconsistent.This study investigated the anti-diabetic effects of 3 incremental doses of AGE in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats (fasting blood sugar > 20 mM).MethodDiabetic rats were divided into a control diabetic group (CD) and AGE-treated diabetic group (AGE-D). The AGE-D was divided into 3 groups and accordingly treated with AGE i.p. at 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg daily for 8 weeks. A control normal group (CN) was also included for reference.ResultsCompared to the CN group, the CD group showed significant loss of body weight (over 50 %); and decreased serum insulin concentration (10 fold) and total anti-oxidant level and catalase activity (45–70 %) in serum, kidney and liver. Conversely, the CD rats had an elevated blood glucose (nearly 4 fold), serum cholesterol (nearly 2 fold) and triglycerides (>2 fold), erythrocyte glycated hemoglobin (GHb, 3 fold) and kidney and liver lipid peroxidation (MDA levels). Treatment with AGE positively reversed the diabetic changes in the targeted parameters to levels significantly lower than those measured in the CD group and the degrees of attenuation were almost dose dependent especially with the two higher doses.ConclusionAGE exhibits a dose-dependent ameliorative action on indicators of diabetes in STZ-induced diabetic rats.
Highlights
Aged garlic extract (AGE) shares some active components with fresh garlic and in spite of its palatability and milder side effects, the anti-diabetic and related anti-oxidant properties of aged garlic extract (AGE) have not been investigated extensively, and the reported findings are inconsistent
Treatment with AGE positively reversed the diabetic changes in the targeted parameters to levels significantly lower than those measured in the control diabetic group (CD) group and the degrees of attenuation were almost dose dependent especially with the two higher doses
In addition to examining the effect of AGE on the general indicators of diabetes, such as serum insulin and glucose, erythrocyte Glycated hemoglobin (GHb), food and water intake, urine output in addition to body weight changes, this study looked at the indicators of oxidative stress (OS) and dyslipidemia to further delineate the scope of the anti-diabetic activity of this garlic preparation
Summary
Aged garlic extract (AGE) shares some active components with fresh garlic and in spite of its palatability and milder side effects, the anti-diabetic and related anti-oxidant properties of AGE have not been investigated extensively, and the reported findings are inconsistent. Aged garlic extract (AGE), produced by storing sliced and macerated fresh garlic at room temperature for 20 months, is odorless and upon ingestion causes minimal gastrointestinal irritability and socially unacceptable properties. These preferable attributes of AGE seem to result from the aging process which reduces the oil-soluble. What is interesting about AGE is that it contains many of the bioactive compounds found in fresh garlic including the watersoluble allyl amino acid derivatives, stable lipid-soluble allyl sulfides, flavonoids and saponins, and most importantly and to a large extent, S-allylcysteine (SAC) and S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC) [15, 16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
