Anti-inflammatory action of Tamarind seeds reduces hyperglycemic excursion by repressing pancreatic β-cell damage and normalizing SREBP-1c concentration.

CONTEXT

Tamarindus indica L. (Leguminosae) is widely used as a traditional medicine for the management of diabetes mellitus (DM) in India, in addition to its anti-inflammatory activity. The present study has been designed to understand the correlation involved between antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory action of aqueous seed extract of T. indica (TSE) in diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE

In view of the fact that fatty acid synthesis and insulin release from islets of pancreas are regulated by sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP-1c) and cytosolic calcium, respectively, the objectives of present study were to determine the influence of TSE on SREBP-1c mRNA and to investigate the intracellular islets calcium Ca²⁺ involvement and β-cell mass preservation in insulin secretagogue action of TSE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The effect of 4 weeks oral treatment (120 and 240 mg/kg) of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) standardized TSE was studied in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male Wistar rats. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and a spectrofluorometer were used for mRNA concentration and islets Ca²⁺ determination, respectively. The TUNEL assay was followed to study the pancreatic apoptosis.

RESULTS

TSE (120 and 240 mg/kg) showed positive correlation with Ca²⁺ and insulin release. The anti-inflammatory action of TSE was significant on nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in addition to a favorable effect on β-cell neogenesis and improved mRNA concentration of SREBP-1c.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The results suggest that anti-inflammatory action of Tamarind seeds on β-cell cells of islets and cytokines contribute toward its antidiabetic activity by way of complex mechanisms of Ca²⁺ handling and through SREBP-1c gene in liver.