Antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of α, β-amyrin, a triterpenoid mixture from Protium heptaphyllum in mice

Short-term caraway extract administration improves cardiovascular disease risk markers in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: a dose-response study

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the effects of caraway plant on blood levels of glucose, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein in diabetic rats.

METHODS

Thirty two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: group 1: nondiabetic control rats, group 2: diabetic rats, group 3, and 4 (caraway treated diabetic groups): each rat was treated with caraway at doses of 1 g/kg in group 3 and 2 g/kg in group 4. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin. Caraway was administered as aqueous extract orally once a day for 3 weeks. Finally, blood samples were collected and fasting blood glucose, serum lipid profile, and C-reactive protein levels were determined. Data were analyzed statistically by one-way Analysis of Variance and considered to be significant when p < .05.

RESULTS

Diabetic rats receiving 1 and 2 g/kg caraway extracts had significantly lower total cholesterol (p = .036 and p = .010, respectively), low-density lipoprotein (p = .001 and p = .002, respectively), non-HDL-C (p = .003 and p = .007, respectively), LDL-C to HDL-C ratio (p = .002) and atherogenic index (p = .001) than that of diabetic control rats. Moreover, there were significant changes in fasting blood glucose in diabetic groups treated with 1 and 2 g/kg caraway extracts (p = .001 and p = .027, respectively) compared with the diabetic control. However, caraway did not have any significant effect on C-reactive protein level in diabetic rats.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that caraway can exhibit blood glucose and lipid lowering activities in diabetes, without any effect on C-reactive protein level.

Chemical properties of a polysaccharide purified from solid-state fermentation of Auricularia auricular and its biological activity as a hypolipidemic agent

A water-soluble crude polysaccharide was extracted by hot water from Auricularia auricular mycelium grown under solid-state fermentation (SSF). The crude polysaccharide was purified by DEAE Sephadex A-50 and Sephadex G-200 chromatography. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance ((1) H NMR) spectroscopy were used to investigate the structure of the purified A. auricular polysaccharide (AAP-I) and revealed that it is α-glycosidically linked. After 14 and 28 days of AAP-I orally administered, the AAP-I significantly decreased the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in mice in which hyperlipidemia had been induced by a high fat diet (P < 0.05). The results revealed that AAP-I from SSF of A. auricular mycelium possesses potent hypolipidemic properties. The polysaccharide may be useful as a functional food additive and a hypolipidemic agent.