Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic syndrome caused by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Traditional Chinese medicine preparations have shown a comprehensive and function-regulating characteristic. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is an annual succulent herb. Currently, there have been some related reports on the treatment of diabetes with purslane. The current study was designed to separate and purify the polysaccharide, a systematic study of its physical and chemical properties, antioxidant activity, and anti-diabetic mechanism, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the development of drugs of purslane. A crude water soluble polysaccharide extracted from purslane was named CPOP (crude Portulaca oleracea L. polysaccharide). Effects of CPOP on bodyweight, glucose tolerance test (GTT), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting serum insulin (FINS), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA), and superoxygen dehydrogenises (SOD) were investigated. The results indicate that the oral administration of CPOP could significantly increase the body weight and significantly improve the glucose tolerance in diabetic rats. Meanwhile, CPOP could significantly reduce the FBG level, and elevate the FINS level and ISI value in diabetic rats. In addition, CPOP could significantly reduce TNF-α and IL-6 levels in diabetic rats; CPOP could also reduce MDA and SOD activities in the liver tissue of diabetic rats. These results suggest that the anti-diabetic effect of CPOP may be associated with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Highlights
Type II diabetes mellitus, an endocrine and metabolic disease caused by the combined effects of polygenic and environmental factors, accounts for more than 90 percent of all diabetic patients [1]
The neutral monosaccharide composition was assessed by gas chromatography, which showed the presence of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, and galactose in the ratio of 1:1.1:1.3:1.9:2.4:3.4:1 (Figure 2)
A water-soluble polysaccharide named crude Portulaca oleracea L. polysaccharide (CPOP) was extracted from purslane
Summary
Type II diabetes mellitus, an endocrine and metabolic disease caused by the combined effects of polygenic and environmental factors, accounts for more than 90 percent of all diabetic patients [1]. Oral hypoglycemic therapy with drugs, such as biguanides [4], thiazolidinediones (TZDs) [5], and glucosidase [6] inhibitors, is the primary therapeutic modality for type II diabetes. Despite their efficacy in maintaining glycemic control, oral hypoglycemic agents may not prevent the long-term complications of diabetes, such as nephropathy [7], and cardiovascular [8] disorders. Long-term use of these drugs is often associated with serious side effects, such as gastrointestinal disorders [9] associated with use of acarbose; granulocytopenia and hypoglycemia with glibenclamide; and lactic acidosis [10] associated with metformin therapy
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