title: Antihyperglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of total saponins extracted from Aralia taibaiensis in experimental type 2 diabetic rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As a well-known traditional Chinese medicine the root bark of Aralia taibaiensis has multiple pharmacological activities, including relieving rheumatism, promoting blood circulation to arrest pain, inducing diuresis to reduce edema, and antidiabetic action. It has long been used as a folk medicine for the treatment of traumatic injury, rheumatic arthralgia, nephritis, edema, hepatitis and diabetes mellitus in China.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the antihyperglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of total saponins extracted from Aralia taibaiensis (SAT) in experimental type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Acute toxicity was studied in rats to determine the safe oral dose of SAT. Then, SAT was given orally to normal and streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced T2DM rats at 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg doses for a series of 28 days to determine the antihyperglycemic activity. Glibenclamide (600 μg/kg), a standard antidiabetic drug, was used as a positive control drug. At the end of treatment, biochemical parameters and antioxidant levels were measured to evaluate the hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of SAT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oral administration of SAT did not exhibit toxicity and death at a dose not more than 2000 mg/kg. SAT dose-dependently improved the symptoms of polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia and weight loss in diabetic rats. Compared with diabetic control group, administration of 320 mg/kg SAT resulted in significant (P<0.05) fall in the levels of fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, creatinine, urea, alanine transarninase, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and malondialdehyde, but significant (P<0.05) increase in the levels of serum insulin, superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione. However, SAT did not have any effect on the normal rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SAT had excellent antihyperglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities in T2DM rats and might be a promising drug in the therapy of diabetes mellitus and its complications.
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Weng
authors: Department of Pathology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi׳an 710032, PR China.
authors: Lu
authors: L
authors: Yu
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: Cui
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Yan-Rong
authors: YR
authors: Zhu
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Chao
authors: C
authors: Guo
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Guo
authors: G
authors: Wei
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Jia-Lin
authors: JL
authors: Duan
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Yin
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Yue
authors: Y
authors: Guan
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Yan-Hua
authors: YH
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China.
authors: Zhi-Fu
authors: ZF
authors: Yang
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: handsomfish@aliyun.com.
authors: Miao-Miao
authors: MM
authors: Xi
authors: Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 127 Changle West Road, Xi׳an 710032, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: adwen-2012@hotmail.com.
authors: Ai-Dong
authors: AD
authors: Wen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D027983:Aralia / Q000737:chemistry*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000633:toxicity; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012503:Saponins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013311:Streptozocin / Q000633:toxicity; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012503:Saponins; D009536:Niacinamide; D013311:Streptozocin
keywords: Antihyperglycemic activity; Antioxidant activity; Aralia taibaiensis; Hypolipidemic activity; Saponins; Type 2 diabetic mellitus