Abstract

Crassocephalum rubens (C. rubens) is a traditional leafy vegetables (TLV) eaten in parts of Africa for the management of symptoms of diabetes mellitus. This study was done to investigate the in vivo anti-diabetic activity of the aqueous extract of C. rubens aerial parts (CRAQ). Type 2 diabetes (T2D) was induced in male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats by feeding them with a 10% fructose solution for two weeks followed by single dose (40 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. After confirmation of T2D, animals were treated with a low and a high dose (150 and 300 mg/kg body weight) of extract for five weeks. Parameters used as markers of hyperglycemia were analyzed in the samples collected from rats. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used in analyzing the morphological changes of the pancreas. Treatment with high dose of the extract significantly (p < 0.05) lowered blood glucose level, increased oral glucose tolerance level and pancreatic β-cell function, while restoring the morphology of the pancreatic tissue damage. The high dose also increased insulin secretion, liver glycogen, antioxidant enzyme activities in serum and organs, and prevented liver and renal damages compared to the untreated diabetic animals. Data from this study suggest that C. rubens possesses impressive anti-diabetic activity and could be useful in ameliorating some complications associated with T2D therefore this plant can be exploited in finding new alternative therapies for the treatment of T2D.

摘要

Crassocephalum rubens (C. rubens)是一种传统的叶菜 (TLV)，在非洲部分地区食用，用于治疗糖尿病症状。本研究旨在研究C. rubens水提取物的体内抗糖尿病活性空中部件（CRAQ）。在雄性 Sprague Dawley (SD) 大鼠中诱导 2 型糖尿病 (T2D)，方法是用 10% 果糖溶液喂养它们两周，然后单剂量 (40 mg/kg 体重) 腹腔注射链脲佐菌素。在确认 T2D 后，用低剂量和高剂量（150 和 300 mg/kg 体重）提取物治疗动物五周。在从大鼠收集的样品中分析用作高血糖标志物的参数。苏木精-伊红染色用于分析胰腺的形态学变化。用高剂量提取物处理显着（p < 0.05) 降低血糖水平，增加口服葡萄糖耐量水平和胰腺β细胞功能，同时恢复胰腺组织损伤的形态。与未经治疗的糖尿病动物相比，高剂量还增加了血清和器官中的胰岛素分泌、肝糖原、抗氧化酶活性，并预防了肝肾损伤。这项研究的数据表明，C. rubens具有令人印象深刻的抗糖尿病活性，可用于改善与 T2D 相关的一些并发症，因此该植物可用于寻找治疗 T2D 的新替代疗法。