Antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects of ethanol and aqueous extracts of Cyclocarya paliurus leaves in type 2 diabetic rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Cyclocarya paliurus (CP) Batal., the sole species in its genus and native to China, is a herbal tea, which has been traditionally used in the folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia in China. To evaluate the antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects of ethanol and aqueous extracts from CP in high fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Type 2 diabetes was induced in 140 rats by feeding with HFD and high sugar water for 6 weeks and single injection of STZ (30mg/kg, intraperitoneally). CP ethanol extract (CPEE) and aqueous extract (CPAE) at three doses at 2, 4 and 8 g/kg/day were orally administered once daily for four weeks. Blood glucose, serum insulin, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin tolerance test (ITT), free fatty acid (FFA), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CREA) and glycated serum protein (GSP) were examined. The content of total flavonoids and polysaccharides in CPEE and CPAE were assayed by ultraviolet spectrophotometry.

RESULTS: Both CPEE and CPAE increased OGTT, ITT, HDL-C, SOD and GSH-Px, while they decreased FFA, TC, TG, LDL-C, MDA, BUN, CREA and GSP. The amount of total flavonoids was found in CPEE (30.41 mg/g extract), followed by CPAE (6.75 mg/g extract). Similarly, the polysaccharides content (4.13 mg/g extract) was observed in CPAE, while absent in CPEE.

CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that CPEE and CPAE exhibited the similar antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic and antioxidant effects in type 2 diabetic rats, and there were no significant differences between these two extracts.