title: Plasma glucose-lowering action of Hon-Chi in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
abstract: Hon-Chi was used for anti-hyperglycemic activity screening in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ-diabetic rats) in an attempt to develop new substances for handling diabetes. Mandarin Hon-Chi is red yeast rice fermented with Monascus pilous and Monascus purpureus. Single oral administration of Hon-Chi decreased plasma glucose in STZ-diabetic rats in a dose-dependent manner from 50 mg/kg to 350 mg/kg. Similar treatment with Hon-Chi also lowered the plasma glucose in normal rats as effectively as that produced in STZ-diabetic rats. In addition, oral administration of Hon-Chi at the highest dose (350 mg/kg) attenuated the elevation of plasma glucose induced by an intravenous glucose challenge test in normal rats. Moreover, mRNA levels of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) in liver from STZ-diabetic rats were reversed in a dose-dependent manner by the repeated oral treatment of Hon-Chi three times daily for two weeks. Otherwise, hyperphagia in STZ-diabetic rats was markedly reversed by similar repeated treatment of Hon-Chi. The obtained results suggest that oral administration of Hon-Chi could decrease hepatic gluconeogenesis to lower plasma glucose in diabetic rats lacking insulin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung City.
authors.forename: J-C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: I-M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J-T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases / Q000378:metabolism; D045424:Complex Mixtures / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005943:Gluconeogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D032741:Monascus / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D045424:Complex Mixtures; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases; D005947:Glucose