Effect of extract of Urtica dioica on insulin and C-peptide secretion from rats (RIN5F) pancreatic beta cells

Abstract

Plants are being used in the treatment of diabetes in traditional system of medicine. Urtica dioica (UD) has a variety of uses in traditional medicine. There are few reports about hypoglycemic mechanisms of U. dioica . The present study was designed to determine the possible mechanisms of hypoglycemic effects of UD on RIN5F rat pancreatic beta cells in vitro models. Beta cells were prepared in multiple flasks containing culture medium. Alcoholic extract of UD at concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 µg/ml was added to flasks. Insulin and C-peptide level were measured at 0, 60, 120 and 80 min. Insulin level in pancreatic cells media before and after addition of UD extract at different concentrations and in different times did not changed significantly (p > 0.2). Also, C-peptide (µg/ml) levels in these media with dose of 50, 100 and 200 µg/ml UD, did not change significantly. The results of the present study demonstrated that alcoholic extract of UD was unable to increase insulin and C-peptide secretion from RIN5F pancreatic beta cells. Hence, the hypoglycemic effects of UD are not based on enhancement of insulin secretion and needs more study. Key words: Urtica dioica , insulin secretion, hypoglycemic activity. INTRODUCTION Diabetes is a chronic disorder in metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, due to absolute or relative deficiency of insulin secretion or varying degree of insulin resistance (American Diabetes Association, 2011; Farmer and Fox, 2011). The number of adults with diabetes in the world is anticipated to rise from 285 million in 2010 to 439 million in the year 2030 (Shaw et al., 2010). Patients with diabetes experience significant morbidity and mortality from microvascular (retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy) and macrovascular complications (heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease).