Actions of the traditional anti-diabetic plant, Agrimony eupatoria (agrimony): effects on hyperglycaemia, cellular glucose metabolism and insulin secretion.

Agrimony eupatoria (agrimony) has been documented as a traditional treatment of diabetes. Here, the effects of dietary administration of agrimony on streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic mice and on in vitro glucose uptake and glucose metabolism, and on insulin secretion by BRIN-BD11 cells were investigated. Agrimony incorporated into the diet (62.5 g/kg) and drinking water (2.5 g/l) countered the weight loss, polydipsia, hyperphagia and hyperglycaemia of STZ-diabetic mice. Aqueous extract of agrimony (1 mg/ml) stimulated 2-deoxy-glucose transport (1.4-fold), glucose oxidation (1.4-fold) and incorporation of glucose into glycogen (2.0-fold) in mouse abdominal muscle comparable with 0.1 microM-insulin. In acute 20 min tests, 0.25-1 mg/ml aqueous extract of agrimony evoked a stepwise 1.9-3.8-fold stimulation of insulin secretion from the BRIN-BD11 pancreatic B-cell line. This effect was abolished by 0.5 mM-diazoxide and previous exposure to extract did not adversely affect subsequent stimulation of insulin secretion by 10 mM-L-alanine, thereby indicating that there was no detrimental effect of the extract on cell viability. The effect of extract was glucose-independent and was not evident in BRIN-BD11 cells exposed to a depolarizing concentration of KCl. The ability of agrimony extract to enhance insulin secretion was dependent on use of heat during extract preparation. These results demonstrate the presence of antihyperglycaemic, insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity in Agrimony eupatoria.