Polysaccharides from Liriopes Radix ameliorates hyperglycemia via various potential mechanisms in diabetic rats.
BACKGROUND
Liriopes Radix, which is regarded as both drug and healthy diet, is drunk as tea and used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes. Based on our previous studies, investigated the hypoglycemic effects and explored the mechanisms of total polysaccharides from Liriope spicata var. prolifera (Liriopes Radix) in a diabetic rat model.


RESULTS
TLSP reduced hyperglycemia in diabetic rats. The oral glucose tolerance test showed that TLSP could improve the glucose tolerance of diabetic rats. Damage to liver and pancreas tissue was inhibited after treatment with TLSP. Moreover, TLSP increased glycogen content, glucokinase (GK) and glycogen synthetase (GS) activities, and suppressed the elevation of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and glycogen phosphorylase (GP) activities in liver. Compared with the diabetic control group, GK and GS mRNA expression were significantly elevated, while G6Pase and GP mRNA expression were decreased in TLSP groups. In addition, TLSP could inhibit glycogen synthase kinase-3β expression and increase insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate-1, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, protein kinase B and glucose transport protein-4 expression in liver.


CONCLUSIONS
TLSP showed hypoglycemic function. Improvement of glucose metabolism and insulin-signaling transduction were possible mechanisms.
Hubei Key Laboratory of Natural Medicinal Chemistry and Resource Evaluation, Tongji School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.
Zuo-qi
ZQ
Xiao
Yong-long
YL
Wang
Su-ran
SR
Gan
Jia-chun
JC
Chen
D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D031424:Liriope Plant / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008112:Liver Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D035281:Plant Tubers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute
D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008112:Liver Glycogen; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011134:Polysaccharides
Liriope spicata var. prolifera; glucose metabolism; hyperglycemia; insulin-signaling transduction; polysaccharides