title: Antidiabetic effects of Panax ginseng berry extract and the identification of an effective component.
abstract: We evaluated antihyperglycemic and anti-obese effects of Panax ginseng berry extract and its major constituent, ginsenoside Re, in obese diabetic C57BL/6J ob/ ob mice and their lean littermates. Animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of Panax ginseng berry extract for 12 days. On day 12, 150 mg/kg extract-treated ob/ob mice became normoglycemic (137 +/- 6.7 mg/dl) and had significantly improved glucose tolerance. The overall glucose excursion during the 2-h intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test decreased by 46% (P < 0.01) compared with vehicle-treated ob/ob mice. The improvement in blood glucose levels in the extract-treated ob/ ob mice was associated with a significant reduction in serum insulin levels in fed and fasting mice. A hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp study revealed a more than twofold increase in the rate of insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in treated ob/ ob mice (112 +/- 19.1 vs. 52 +/- 11.8 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) for the vehicle group, P < 0.01). In addition, the extract-treated ob/ob mice lost a significant amount of weight (from 51.7 +/- 1.9 g on day 0 to 45.7 +/- 1.2 on day 12, P < 0.01 vs. vehicle-treated ob/ob mice), associated with a significant reduction in food intake (P < 0.05) and a very significant increase in energy expenditure (P < 0.01) and body temperature (P < 0.01). Treatment with the extract also significantly reduced plasma cholesterol levels in ob/ob mice. Additional studies demonstrated that ginsenoside Re plays a significant role in antihyperglycemic action. This antidiabetic effect of ginsenoside Re was not associated with body weight changes, suggesting that other constituents in the extract have distinct pharmacological mechanisms on energy metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Anoja S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Attele
authors.forename: Yun-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jing-Tian
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Ji An
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pugh
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rue
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Polonsky
authors.forename: Chun-Su
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D005215:Fasting; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D036145:Ginsenosides; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009765:Obesity; D005894:Panax; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012503:Saponins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D036145:Ginsenosides; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012503:Saponins; C049864:ginsenoside Re; D002784:Cholesterol