Antihyperglycemic Effect of Puerarin in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

• Published in: Journal of natural products (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 66; no. 6; pp. 788 - 792
• Main Authors: Hsu, Feng-Lin, Liu, I-Min, Kuo, Daih-Huang, Chen, Wang-Chuan, Su, Hui-Chen, Cheng, Juei-Tang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.06.2003; Glendale, AZ American Society of Pharmacognosy
• Subjects: animal models; Animals; antihyperglycemic effect; Biological and medical sciences; blood glucose; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Blood Glucose - metabolism; chemical structure; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; disease models; Disease Models, Animal; dose response; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; General pharmacology; Glucose - metabolism; Glucose Transporter Type 4; glucose transporters; Hypoglycemic Agents - chemistry; Hypoglycemic Agents - isolation & purification; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Insulin - metabolism; insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; intravenous glucose challenge test; Isoflavones; Medical sciences; messenger RNA; Molecular Structure; Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; Muscle Proteins; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; phytochemicals; plant extracts; Plant Roots - chemistry; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; protein content; Pueraria - chemistry; Pueraria montana var. lobata; puerarin; Rats; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; roots; skeletal muscle; soleus muscle; Streptozocin - metabolism; Streptozocin - pharmacology; streptozotocin; Taiwan; Taiwan; Endocrinopathy; Intravenous administration; Rat; Extract; Flavonoid; Isoflavone derivatives; Medicinal plant; Hypoglycemic agent; Folk medicine; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; C-Glycoside; Root; Pharmacognosy; Diabetes mellitus; Oriental medicine; Rodentia; Biological activity; Vertebrata; Chemotherapy; Mammalia; Treatment; Leguminosae; Animal; Plant origin; Phenols; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0163-3864; 1520-6025
• DOI: 10.1021/np0203887

The antihyperglycemic action of puerarin, purified from the roots of Pueraria lobata, was investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ-diabetic rats). Bolus intravenous injection of puerarin decreased the plasma glucose concentrations in a dose-dependent manner in STZ-diabetic rats. Similar treatment with puerarin also decreased the plasma glucose in normal rats, although the effect was not as great as that in STZ-diabetic rats. Puerarin at the effective dose (15.0 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the increase of plasma glucose induced by an intravenous glucose challenge test in normal rats. In the isolated soleus muscle of STZ-diabetic rats, puerarin enhanced the uptake of radioactive glucose in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the mRNA and protein levels of the subtype 4 form of glucose transporter (GLUT4) in soleus muscle were increased after repeated intravenous administration of puerarin in STZ-diabetic rats for 3 days. These results suggest that puerarin can increase the glucose utilization to lower plasma glucose in diabetic rats lacking insulin.