Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Nanobiotechnology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2023 Aug;56:59-66. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2023.04.016. Epub 2023 May 8.
For years, numerous studies have focused on identifying approaches to increase insulin sensitivity by modifying the signaling factors. In the present study, we examined the effects of Eryngium billardieri extract, as an anti-diabetic herbal medication, on the heart mRNA level of Akt serine/threonine kinase (Akt), mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), and Forkhead box o1 (Foxo1) in rats with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance (IR). We also assessed the anti-diabetic effects of E. billardieri extract in rats with insulin resistance.
Twenty-seven male Wistar rats were divided into two groups. Nine rats were fed a normal diet (control group), and 18 rats were fed an HFD for 13 weeks (HFD group). To confirm the induction of insulin resistance, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Then rats with IR were randomly divided into the following groups: the HFD group, which continued an HFD, and the group treated with E. billardieri extract, which received the extract at a concentration of 50 mg/kg for 30 days. On the 30th day, the animals were sacrificed and serum samples were collected for biochemistry analyses. Furthermore, the expression of Akt, mTOR, PPARγ, and Foxo1 was measured in heart tissue using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
Real-time PCR analyses revealed that an HFD can significantly decrease the expression level of Akt, mTOR, and PPARγ in the heart tissue. However, an HFD significantly increased the expression level of Foxo1 in the HFD group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, our data showed that the administration of E. billardieri extract significantly enhanced the mRNA levels of Akt, PPARγ, and mTOR in the heart tissue compared to the HFD group (P < 0.05), while it significantly decreased the Foxo1 mRNA levels (P < 0.01).
Given that Akt, mTOR, PPARγ, and Foxo1 are critical factors in insulin resistance, the present study suggests that E. billardieri could probably be used as an alternative treatment for IR as a major feature of metabolic syndrome.
多年来，许多研究都集中在通过改变信号因子来寻找提高胰岛素敏感性的方法。在本研究中，我们研究了蓝刺头提取物作为一种抗糖尿病草药对高脂肪饮食（HFD）诱导的胰岛素抵抗（IR）大鼠心脏 Akt 丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶（Akt）、雷帕霉素靶蛋白激酶（mTOR）、过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体γ（PPARγ）和叉头框蛋白 O1（Foxo1）mRNA 水平的影响。我们还评估了蓝刺头提取物对胰岛素抵抗大鼠的抗糖尿病作用。
将 27 只雄性 Wistar 大鼠分为两组。9 只大鼠喂食正常饮食（对照组），18 只大鼠喂食高脂肪饮食 13 周（HFD 组）。为了确认胰岛素抵抗的诱导，进行了口服葡萄糖耐量试验（OGTT），并计算了稳态模型评估的胰岛素抵抗（HOMA-IR）。然后，将 IR 大鼠随机分为以下两组：继续喂食 HFD 的 HFD 组和喂食 50mg/kg 浓度蓝刺头提取物 30 天的蓝刺头提取物组。第 30 天，处死动物并采集血清样本进行生化分析。此外，使用实时聚合酶链反应（PCR）法测量心脏组织中 Akt、mTOR、PPARγ 和 Foxo1 的表达。
实时 PCR 分析表明，HFD 可显著降低心脏组织中 Akt、mTOR 和 PPARγ 的表达水平。然而，与对照组相比，HFD 组中 Foxo1 的表达水平显著增加（P<0.05）。此外，我们的数据表明，与 HFD 组相比，蓝刺头提取物的给药显著增加了心脏组织中 Akt、PPARγ 和 mTOR 的 mRNA 水平（P<0.05），同时显著降低了 Foxo1 的 mRNA 水平（P<0.01）。
鉴于 Akt、mTOR、PPARγ 和 Foxo1 是胰岛素抵抗的关键因素，本研究表明蓝刺头可能可作为代谢综合征主要特征的 IR 的替代治疗方法。
