Abstract
Succinic acid (SA) and oleic acid (OA) are the primary hypoglycaemic agents in Desmodium canum, a plant traditionally employed for its potential health benefits. The synergy of the two organic acids exhibits potency in retarding blood glucose levels (BGL) in euglycaemic Sprague Dawley (S-D) rats following a single-dose administration. A cocktail of the two compounds is being investigated for its antidiabetic properties in fructose-fed streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Eighteen type 2 diabetic S-D rats were divided into 3 groups and treated for 28 d with either the cocktail (OA + SA, 800 mg/kg body weight [BW]), glibenclamide (10 mg/kg BW), or vehicle (10% polysorbate 20). Another 12 S-D rats served as euglycaemic animals and were divided into two groups, fed either the cocktail (OA + SA, 800 mg/kg BW) or vehicle. Changes in BW, blood pressure (BP), BGL, water and food consumption, serum insulin, serum glucagon and insulin resistance (IR) were monitored. Treatment with the cocktail showed no change in euglycaemic animals; however, there was a significant reduction in the BGL of diabetic treated animals when compared with diabetic control (14.48 ± 1.92 vs. 25.56 ± 1.38 mM; p=0.012). Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and glucose/insulin (G/I) scores for IR indicated an improvement in insulin response in the diabetic treated animals. Additionally, there was a noticeable reduction in food and water consumption when compared with diabetic control animals, which was accompanied by a reduction in weight. Overall, the cocktail elicited antidiabetic properties and may serve an important therapeutic role as a nutritional supplement in type 2 diabetics.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to be a challenging issue that plagues many Caribbean territories
3.2. e Weekly Change in Blood Glucose Levels of Diabetic and Nondiabetic Sprague Dawley Rats. e cocktail supplement of oleic acid (OA) + Succinic acid (SA) resulted in a gradual reduction in the blood glucose levels (BGL) of diabetic animals, which was significantly lower than diabetic control (DC) at weeks 6 (14.82 ± 2.31 mM vs. 28.53 ± 2.75 mM; p 0.04) and 7 (14.48 ± 1.92 mM vs. 25.56 ± 1.38 mM; p 0.012)
The glibenclamide treated animals had a similar response as the diabetic treatment (DT) group with a gradual reduction in BGL until weeks 6 and 7 where it became significantly lower than the DC animals (p 0.04 and p 0.012, respectively). ere were no statistically significant differences between DT and diabetic glibenclamide (DGlib)
Summary
Diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to be a challenging issue that plagues many Caribbean territories. As a progressive disease, there may be the development of cardiovascular complications, endothelial dysfunction, neuropathy, nephropathy, nontraumatic amputations, among others [4, 6]. Several of these are as a result of the development of oxidative stress which is well documented to be strongly correlated with DM [7]. Lattibeaudiere and colleagues [18] further demonstrated that the hypoglycaemic activity observed in the normal rats was due to the synergistic action of OA and SA found in the plant Both compounds have been documented to individually possess a hypoglycaemic activity, but as a cocktail, the potency rivals that of metformin in euglycaemic S-D rats [18]. Aim to investigate the effect of these compounds as a nutritional supplement in fructose-fed STZ-induced type 2 diabetic rats
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