title: Emodin, a compound with putative antidiabetic potential, deteriorates glucose tolerance in rodents.
abstract: Emodin is found in remedies from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Since antihyperglycaemic action was observed in rodents, non-scientific sources advertise emodin intake as a natural cure for diabetes. Emodin was admixed to high fat-food of obese mice at two doses (2 and 5g/kg; daily emodin uptake 103 and 229mg/kg). Comparison was made to ad libitum fed and to food restricted control groups, the latter showing the same weight gain as the corresponding emodin-treated groups. Emodin blunted food intake by 6% and 20% for the low and high dose, which was accompanied by proportionate reductions in weight gain. Emodin reduced blood glucose relative to freely feeding controls, but comparison to weight-matched controls unmasked deterioration, rather than improvement, of basal glycaemia (mmol/l: fed ad libitum, 9.5±0.4; low emodin, 9.4±0.3, weight-matched, 8.2±0.3; high emodin, 7.2±0.4, weight-matched, 6.1±0.3; P<0.01, emodin vs weight-matched) and glucose tolerance (area under the curve, min*mol/l: fed ad libitum, 2.01±0.08; low emodin, 1.97±0.12, weight-matched, 1.75±0.03; high emodin, 1.89±0.07, weight-matched, 1.65±0.05; P<0.0002, emodin vs weight-matched). An insulin tolerance test suggested insulin desensitisation by prolonged emodin treatment. Furthermore, a single oral emodin dose did not affect glucose tolerance in obese mice, whereas intravenous injection in rats suggested a potential of emodin to acutely impair insulin release. Our results show that the antihyperglycaemic action of emodin as well as associated biochemical alterations could be the mere consequences of a spoilt appetite. Published claims of antidiabetic potential via other mechanisms evoke the danger of misuse of natural remedies by diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: sameid73@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sameer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abu Eid
authors.affiliation: Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Einsiedlerstrasse 31, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland; Bacoba AG, Einsiedlerstrasse 25, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland. Electronic address: adams@bacoba.ch.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: thomas.scherer@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.affiliation: Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Einsiedlerstrasse 31, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland. Electronic address: hectormanuel.torres-gomez@zhaw.ch.
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Torres-Gómez
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: martina.hackl@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Martina Theresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hackl
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: n1635226@students.meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Mairam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaplanian
authors.affiliation: Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Einsiedlerstrasse 31, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland. Electronic address: rira@zhaw.ch.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Riedl
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: anton.luger@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luger
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: clemens.fuernsinn@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fürnsinn
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004642:Emodin / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D004642:Emodin
keywords: Appetite; Body Weight; Diabetes; Emodin; Emodin (PubChem CID: 3220); Glucose