Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of Saururus chinensis Baill in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Saururus chinensis Baill was reported to inhibit α-glucosidase in vitro and flatten postprandial increase in blood glucose in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. We studied the effect of chronic consumption of S. chinensis Baill on blood glucose and lipid profile in STZ-induced diabetic male rats fed high fat diet. Male rats weighing 100-120 g were fed 30% fat diet with and without 10% freeze-dried leaves of S. chinensis Baill for 7 weeks after 1 week of adaptation. The rats were rendered diabetic by intravenous injection of STZ (60 mg/kg) after 6-week feeding of the assigned diets. At 1 week after the injection, the rats were sacrificed after an overnight fast. Plasma glucose (380.2 ± 14.4 mg/dL), total cholesterol (93.9 ± 7.9 mg/dL) and triglyceride levels (123.6 ± 7.5 mg/dL) of the S. chinensis Baill group were significantly lower than those of the control group (418.1 ± 12.0 mg/dL, 119.9 ± 9.4 mg/dL, 152.0 ± 10.3 mg/dL, respectively, p<0.05). Chronic consumption of S. chinesis Baill significantly decreased maltase activity of the small intestinal mucosa (120.1 ± 8.7 U/g protein) compared with the control group (96.8 ± 7.0 U/g protein, p<0.05). These results suggest that S. chinensis Baill have hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects by inhibiting α-glucosidase activity in the animal model of diabetes mellitus.