Abstract
BackgroundTo study the effects of a pre-germinated brown rice diet (PR) on diabetic neuropathy in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.MethodsThe effects of a PR diet on diabetic neuropathy in STZ-induced diabetic rats were evaluated and compared with those fed brown rice (BR) or white rice (WR) diets with respect to the following parameters: blood-glucose level, motor-nerve conduction velocity (NCV), sciatic-nerve Na+/K+-ATPase activity, and serum homocysteine-thiolactonase (HTase) activity.ResultsCompared with diabetic rats fed BR or WR diets, those fed a PR diet demonstrated significantly lower blood-glucose levels (p < 0.001), improved NCV (1.2- and 1.3-fold higher, respectively), and increased Na+/K+-ATPase activity (1.6- and 1.7-fold higher, respectively). The PR diet was also able to normalize decreased serum homocysteine levels normally seen in diabetic rats. The increased Na+/K+-ATPase activity observed in rats fed PR diets was associated with elevations in HTase activity (r = 0.913, p < 0.001). The in vitro effect of the total lipid extract from PR bran (TLp) on the Na+/K+-ATPase and HTase activity was also examined. Incubation of homocysteine thiolactone (HT) with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in vitro resulted in generation of HT-modified LDL, which possessed high potency to inhibit Na+/K+-ATPase activity in the sciatic nerve membrane. The inhibitory effect of HT-modified LDL on Na+/K+-ATPase activity disappeared when TLp was added to the incubation mixture. Furthermore, TLp directly activated the HTase associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL).ConclusionPR treatment shows efficacy for protecting diabetic deterioration and for improving physiological parameters of diabetic neuropathy in rats, as compared with a BR or WR diet. This effect may be induced by a mechanism whereby PR intake mitigates diabetic neuropathy by one or more factors in the total lipid fraction. The active lipid fraction is able to protect the Na+/K+-ATPase of the sciatic-nerve membrane from the toxicity of HT-modified LDL and to directly activate the HTase of HDL.
Highlights
To study the effects of a pre-germinated brown rice diet (PR) on diabetic neuropathy in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats
We previously showed that both nondiabetic patients and hyperglycemic patients with uncontrolled diabetes who ate diets supplemented with PR had lower postprandial blood-glucose levels than those who ate white rice (WR)-supplemented diets [3,4]
Body weight and blood-glucose level The total mass of food consumed during the 3-week experimental diet period for each non-diabetic rat group was as follows: WR, 590 ± 31 g; brown rice (BR), 611 ± 42 g; and PR, 631 ± 64 g
Summary
To study the effects of a pre-germinated brown rice diet (PR) on diabetic neuropathy in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The efficacy of PR-enriched diets in reducing blood glucose levels in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats has been reported [2]. It has been suggested that the reduction in blood- glucose levels and the incidence of diabetic vascular complications in diabetic patients fed a PR-rich diet may result from the substantially higher dietary fiber content of germinating rice bran [5]. Reduced type-1 plasminogenactivator inhibitor and lipid-peroxide levels have been reported in diabetic rats [2], suggesting that PR intake may ameliorate diabetic vascular complications such as retinopathy and nephropathy
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