Abstract
The antihyperglycemic action of puerarin, purified from the roots of Pueraria lobata, was investigated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ-diabetic rats). Bolus intravenous injection of puerarin decreased the plasma glucose concentrations in a dose-dependent manner in STZ-diabetic rats. Similar treatment with puerarin also decreased the plasma glucose in normal rats, although the effect was not as great as that in STZ-diabetic rats. Puerarin at the effective dose (15.0 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the increase of plasma glucose induced by an intravenous glucose challenge test in normal rats. In the isolated soleus muscle of STZ-diabetic rats, puerarin enhanced the uptake of radioactive glucose in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the mRNA and protein levels of the subtype 4 form of glucose transporter (GLUT4) in soleus muscle were increased after repeated intravenous administration of puerarin in STZ-diabetic rats for 3 days. These results suggest that puerarin can increase the glucose utilization to lower plasma glucose in diabetic rats lacking insulin.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 788-792 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Natural Products |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 1 2003 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Plant Science
- Chemistry (miscellaneous)
- Drug Discovery
- Organic Chemistry
- Pharmacology
