title: Combination of 5-aminolevulinic acid and ferrous ion reduces plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels in Zucker diabetic fatty rats.
abstract: Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a natural amino acid produced only in the mitochondria, is a precursor of heme. Cytochromes that contain heme play an important role in aerobic energy metabolism. Thus, ALA may help reduce T2DM-associated hyperglycemia. In this study, we investigated the effect of ALA combined with sodium ferrous citrate (SFC) on hyperglycemia in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. We found that the gavage administration of ALA combined with SFC (ALA/SFC) for 6 weeks reduced plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in rats without affecting plasma insulin levels. The glucose-lowering effect depended on the amount of ALA/SFC administered per day. Furthermore, the glucose tolerance was also significantly improved by ALA/SFC administration. Although food intake was slightly reduced in the rats administered ALA/SFC, there was no effect on their body weight. Importantly, ALA/SFC administration induced heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression in white adipose tissue and liver, and the induced expression levels of HO-1 correlated with the glucose-lowering effects of ALA/SFC. Taken together, these results suggest that ALA combined with ferrous ion is effective in reducing hyperglycemia of T2DM without affecting plasma insulin levels. HO-1 induction may be involved in the mechanisms underlying the glucose-lowering effect of ALA/SFC.
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koda
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nozawa
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Urara
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine School of Medicine Keio University Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine School of Medicine Keio University Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Motowo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: SBI Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. Minato-ku Tokyo Japan.
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
keywords: 5‐aminolevulinic acid; Zucker diabetic fatty rat; heme oxygenase‐1; mitochondria; sodium ferrous citrate; type 2 diabetes mellitus