Anti-diabetic effects of Cichorium intybus in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 May 4;111(2):430-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2006.11.028. Epub 2006 Dec 1.

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of an ethanolic extract of Cichorium intybus (CIE) which is widely used in India as a traditional treatment for diabetes mellitus. Male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 9 weeks (160-200 g) were administered with streptozotocin (STZ, 50mg/kg) intraperitoneally to induce experimental diabetes. The Cichorium intybus whole plant was exhaustively extracted with 80% ethanol, concentrated at 40 degrees C using a rotavapor and freeze dried to get powder. Hypoglycemic effects of CIE were observed in an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in which, a dose of 125 mg of plant extract/kg body weight exhibited the most potent hypoglycemic effect. Moreover, daily administration of CIE (125 mg/kg) for 14 days to diabetic rats attenuated serum glucose by 20%, triglycerides by 91% and total cholesterol by 16%. However, there was no change in serum insulin levels, which ruled out the possibility that CIE induces insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. In addition, hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity (Glc-6-Pase) was markedly reduced by CIE when compared to the control group. The reduction in the hepatic Glc-6-Pase activity could decrease hepatic glucose production, which in turn results in lower concentration of blood glucose in CIE-treated diabetic rats. In conclusion, our results support the traditional belief that Cichorium intybus could ameliorate diabetic state.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood Glucose / analysis
  • Cholesterol / blood
  • Cichorium intybus / chemistry*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / drug therapy*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / metabolism*
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Glucose Tolerance Test
  • Glucose-6-Phosphatase / analysis
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Male
  • Metformin / pharmacology
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Plants, Medicinal / chemistry*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Triglycerides / blood

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Plant Extracts
  • Triglycerides
  • Metformin
  • Cholesterol
  • Glucose-6-Phosphatase