title: Insulin-secretagogue activity of eleven plant extracts and twelve pure compounds isolated from Aralia taibaiensis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the insulinogenic activities of the eleven saponins enriched traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) extracts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radioimmunoassay and trypan blue exclusion assay were used to investigate the insulinogenic activity and cytotoxic effects respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total saponin extract of Aralia taibaiensis (sAT) exhibited highest insulinogenic activity and no cytotoxicity was recorded. Twelve pure compounds from sAT stimulated insulin secretion from a mouse insulinoma βTC3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. TA35 outperformed the other compounds which suggested that the active insulinogenic ingredient of sAT was probably TA35. In addition, both sAT and TA35 markedly potentiated glucose-induced insulin secretion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study is the first to show that sAT dramatically stimulated insulin secretion and its antidiabetic activity may be related to its high saponin content. These findings suggested that sAT and the compound TA35 isolated from sAT may provide novel therapeutic tools for the treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).
authors.affiliation: Department of pharmacy, Xijing Hospital of Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, PR China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yu-wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Xiao-mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Jia-lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Miao-miao
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Ai-dong
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Wen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027983:Aralia / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000819:agonists* / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007340:Insulinoma / Q000378:metabolism; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012503:Saponins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012503:Saponins