[Studies on hypoglycemic effect of extract of Balaophora polyandra in mice].
OBJECTIVE
To study the hypoglycemic effect of the extract of B. polyandra (SHG).


METHODS
The diabetic mice were induced by alloxan in ICR mice. The blood glucose concentration was measured by glucose oxidase method. The serum insulin level was determined by 125I-insulin radioimmunoassay kit. The hypoglycemic effect was evaluated by the levels of both fasting and no-fasting blood glucose. The effect on serum insulin level was estimated by the values of the blood insulin and the changes of the blood glucose induced by the glucose intraperitoneal injection. The effect on the glucose absorption was investigated by the oral sucrose or starch tolerance test.


RESULTS
Both of the fasting and no-fasting blood glucose levels were decreased significantly by the treatment of 20 or 30 g raw materials crude drug x kg (-1) SHG orally for 7-10 d in ICR mice or in alloxan diabetic mice. In the oral sucrose tolerance test or oral starch tolerance test, the administration of SHG reduced significantly the peak value of the blood glucose and the area under the blood glucose-time curve (AUC) in normal or alloxan diabetic mice, respectively. These effects of SHG were similar to those of acarbose, a kind of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. In the oral glucose tolerance test in normal and alloxan diabetic mice, SHG decreased both the blood glucose peak and the AUC induced by the glucose loading. But in the intraperitoneal injection glucose tolerance test the levels of insulin in both SHG and control mice were similar, however, the changes of the blood glucose level after the glucose-loading for 30 min in SHG mice was much lower than that in control mice.


CONCLUSIONS
With the treatment of SHG, the fasting and no-fasting blood glucose concentrations were decreased and the glucose tolerance improved significantly in both normal and alloxan diabetic mice, and the inhibition of a-glucosidase might be one of its major mechanisms.
Tian
Jin-ying
JY
Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Ji
Teng-fei
TF
Su
Ya-lun
YL
Cong
Wei-na
WN
Liu
Zi-liang
ZL
Ye
Fei
F
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000496:Alloxan; D000818:Animals; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D011897:Random Allocation; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases / Q000378:metabolism