Protective action of seed extracts against the deleterious effect of streptozotocin on both glucose-stimulated insulin release from rat pancreatic islets and glucose homeostasis.

extracts improve glucose homeostasis in alloxan- or streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Little is known, however, regarding the protective effect of these extracts against the β-cytotoxic action of STZ. In the present study, an HO-methanol extract was found to suppress the inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by STZ in rat-isolated pancreatic islets. Similarly, when an aqueous extract from seeds was injected daily for 21 days prior to STZ administration, the perturbation of glucose homeostasis otherwise generated by the β-cytotoxic agent was minimized in rats.