title: Silk fibroin hydrolysate exerts an anti-diabetic effect by increasing pancreatic β cell mass in C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice.
abstract: Components of silk including silk fibroin have long been used as anti-diabetic remedies in oriental medicine. However, detailed mechanisms underlying these antidiabetic effects remain unclear. In this study, we examined the anti-diabetic activity of silk fibroin hydrolysate (SFH) in C57BL/KsJ db/db (db/db) mice, a well-known animal model of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. When the db/db mice were administered SFH in drinking water for 6 weeks, hyperglycemia in the animals gradually disappeared and the level of glycosylated hemoglobin decreased, indicating that SFH plays important role in reducing the symptoms of diabetes. In addition, SFH-treated db/db mice exhibited improved glucose tolerance with increased plasma insulin levels. Immunohistochemical and morphological analyses showed that SFH up-regulated insulin production by increasing pancreatic β cell mass in the mice. In summary, our results suggest that SFH exerts anti-diabetic effects by increasing pancreatic β cell mass in a non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus mouse model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chuncheon 200-702, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun-Gil
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Jun-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hajin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Jin-Bong
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae-Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yang-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Jun-Gyo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Suh
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000737:chemistry*; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D005349:Fibroins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011492:Protein Hydrolysates / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D054411:Receptors, Leptin / Q000235:genetics; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D011492:Protein Hydrolysates; D054411:Receptors, Leptin; C515447:leptin receptor, mouse; D005349:Fibroins