Abstract
Aim:
The antihyperglycemic effects of the total ginsenosides in Chinese ginseng (TGCG), extracted from leaves and the stem, were evaluated in diabetic C57BL/6J ob/ob mice.
Methods:
Animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of TGCG (100 and 200 mg/kg) or oral administration (150 and 300 mg/kg) for 12 d. Fasting blood glucose levels and body weight were measured after fasting the animals for 4 h. Peripheral glucose use was also measured using an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test.
Results:
In the injection group, a high dose of TGCG (200 mg/kg) significantly lowered the fasting blood glucose levels in ob/ob mice on d 12 (153 ± 16 mg/dL vs 203±9.8 mg/dL, P<0.01, compared to vehicle-treated group). In the oral group, blood glucose decreased notably with a dose of TGCG (300 mg/kg) on d 12 (169.1±12.6 mg/dL vs 211.6±13.8 mg/dL, P<0.05, compared to the vehicle-treated group). Glucose tolerance was also improved markedly in ob/ob mice. Furthermore, a significant reduction in bodyweight (P<0.05) was observed after 12 d of TGCG (300 mg/kg) treatment in mice from the oral group.
Conclusion:
The results indicated that in a diabetic ob/ob mouse model TGCG was endowed with significant anti-hyperglycemic and anti-obesity properties. Therefore, the total ginsenosides extracted from Chinese ginseng leaves and the stem may have some potential for treating diabetes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Skyler JS . Diabetes mellitus: pathogenesis and treatment strategies. J Med Chem 2004; 47: 4113–7.
American Diabetes Association and National Institutes of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The prevention or delay of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2002; 25: 742–9.
Abraira C, Colwell JA, Nuttall FQ, Sawin CT, Nagel NJ, Comstock JP, et al. Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study on glycemic control and complications in type II diabetes (VA CSDM). Results of the feasibility trial. Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study in Type II Diabetes. Diabetes Care 1995; 18: 1113–23.
Ohkubo Y, Kishikawa H, Araki E, Miyata T, Isami S, Motoyoshi S, et al. Intensive insulin therapy prevents the progression of diabetic microvascular complications in Japanese patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: a randomized prospective 6-year study. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 1995; 28: 103–17.
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group. The effect of intensive treatment of diabetes on the development and progression of long-term complications in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med 1993; 329: 977–86.
DeFronzo RA . Pharmacologic therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ann Intern Med 1999; 131: 281–303.
Gaster B, Hirsch IB . The effects of improved glycemic control on complications in type 2 diabetes. Arch Intern Med 1998; 158: 134–40.
Rang HP, Dale MM . The endocrine system pharmacology, UK: Longman Group; 1991. p 504–8.
Xie JT, Mehendale S, Yuan CS . Ginseng and diabetes. Am J Chin Med 2005; 33: 397–404.
Chevallier A . Encyclopedia of herbal medicine, New York: DK Publishing; 2000. p 40–3.
Attele AS, Wu JA, Yuan CS . Ginseng pharmacology: multiple constituents and multiple actions. Biochem Pharmacol 1999; 58: 1685–93.
Attele AS, Xie JT . Evidence based herbal pharmacology: an example using ginseng. In: Yuan CS, Beiber E, editors. A textbook of complementary and alternative therapies. New York: CRC Press Company; 2002. p 202–18.
Wang C . Advances in study of pharmacology of ginseng. Acta Pharm Sin 1965; 12: 477–586.
Wang C . Recent advances in study of pharmacology of ginseng. Acta Pharm Sin 1980; 15: 312–20.
Ackerknecht EH . A short history of medicine, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press; 1982. p 35–46.
Bensky D, Gamble A . Chinese Herbal Medicine, Materia Medica. In: Ginseng, Seattle (WA): Eastland Press; 1993. p 314–7.
Sotaniemi EA, Haapakoski E, Rautio A . Ginseng therapy in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 1995; 18: 1373–5.
Vuksan V, Sievenpiper JL, Koo VY, Francis T, Beljan-Zdravkovic U, Xu Z, et al. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) reduces postprandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Arch Intern Med 2000; 160: 1009–13.
Chung SH, Choi CG, Park SH . Comparisons between white ginseng radix and rootlet for antidiabetic activity and mechanism in KKAy mice. Arch Pharm Res 2001; 24: 214–8.
Vuksan V, Stavro MP, Sievenpiper JL, Beljan-Zdravkovic U, Leiter LA, Josse RG, et al. Similar postprandial glycemic reductions with escalation of dose and administration time of American ginseng in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2000; 23: 1221–6.
Kimura M, Waki I, Tanaka O, Nagai Y, Shibata S . Pharmacological sequential trials for the fractionation of components with hypoglycemic activity in alloxan diabetic mice from ginseng radix. J Pharmacobiodyn 1981; 4: 402–9.
Attele AS, Zhou YP, Xie JT, Wu JA, Zhang L, Dey L, et al. Antidiabetic effects of Panax ginseng berry extract and the identification of an effective component. Diabetes 2002; 51: 1851–8.
Xie JT, Aung HH, Wu JA, Attele AS, Yuan CS . Effects of American ginseng berry extract on blood glucose levels in ob/ob mice. Am J Chin Med 2002; 30: 187–94.
Xie JT, Zhou YP, Dey L, Attele A, Wu J, Gu M, et al. Ginseng berry reduces blood glucose and body weight in db/db mice. Phytomedicine 2002; 9: 254–8.
Dey L, Xie JT, Wang A, Wu J, Maleckar SA, Yuan CS . Anti-hyperglycemic effects of ginseng: comparison between root and berry. Phytomedicine 2003; 10: 600–5.
Xie JT, Wu JA, Mehendale S, Aung HH, Yuan CS . Anti-hyperglycemic effect of the polysaccharides fraction from American ginseng berry extract in ob/ob mice. Phytomedicine 2004; 11: 182–7.
Xie JT, Mehendale A, Wang A, Aung H, Wu J, Osinski J, et al. American ginseng leaf: Ginsenoside analysis and hypoglycemic activity. Pharmacol Res 2004; 49: 113–7.
Yuan CS . Anti-diabetic and anti-obese effects of ginseng: from root to berry. In: Baek IN, editor. Advances in ginseng research. Seoul, Korea: The Korean Society of Ginseng; 2002. p 129–44.
Grover JK, Yadav S, Vats V . Medicinal plants of India with antidiabetic potential. J Ethnopharmacol 2002; 81: 81–100.
Zhonghua Bencao Editors. Zhonghua Bencao (Chinese Herbal Medicine). Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing House; 1996. p 268–81.
Jung CH, Chio IW, Cho HY . Antioxidant activities of cultivated and wild Korean ginseng leaves. Food Chem 2004; 92: 535–40.
Evans JL, Goldfine ID, Maddux BA, Grodsky GM . Are oxidative stress-activated signaling pathways mediators of insulin resistance and beta-cell dysfunction? Diabetes 2003; 52: 1–8.
Lillioja S, Mott DM, Spraul M, Ferraro R, Foley JE, Ravussin E, et al. Insulin resistance and insulin secretory dysfunction as precursors of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Prospective studies of Pima Indians. N Engl J Med 1993; 329: 1988–92.
Taylor SI, Accili D, Imai Y . Insulin resistance or insulin deficiency. Which is the primary cause of NIDDM? Diabetes 1994; 43: 735–40.
Genuth SM, Przybylski RJ, Rosenberg DM . Insulin resistance in genetically obese, hyperglycemic mice. Endocrinology 1971; 88: 1230–8.
Kimura M, Suzuki J . The pattern of action of blended Chinese traditional medicines to glucose tolerance curves in genetically diabetic KK-CAy mice. J Pharmacobiodyn 1981; 4: 907–15.
Kimura M, Suzuki J, Koizumi T . Glucose tolerance curves in genetically diabetic KK-CAy mice: the pharmacokinetic analysis for humping effect. J Pharmacobiodyn 1981; 4: 149–61.
Kimura M, Waki I, Chujo T, Kikuchi T, Hiyama C, Yamazaki K, et al. Effects of hypoglycemic components in ginseng radix on blood insulin level in alloxan diabetic mice and on insulin release from perfused rat pancreas. J Pharmacobiodyn 1981; 4: 410–7.
Chen X . Cardiovascular protection by ginsenosides and their nitric oxide releasing action. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1996; 23: 728–32.
Spinas GA, Laffranchi R, Francoys I, David I, Richter C, Reinecke M . The early phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion requires nitric oxide. Diabetologia 1998; 41: 292–9.
Hasegawa H, Matsumiya S, Murakami C, et al. Interactions of ginseng extract, ginseng separated fractions, and some triterpenoid saponins with glucose transporters in sheep erythrocytes. Planta Med 1994; 60: 153–7.
Roy D, Perreault M, Marette A . Insulin stimulation of glucose uptake in skeletal muscles and adipose tissues in vivo is NO dependent. Am J Physiol 1998; 274: E692–9.
McCune LM, Johns T . Antioxidant activity in medicinal plants associated with the symptoms of diabetes mellitus used by the indigenous peoples of the North American boreal forest. J Ethnopharmacol 2002; 82: 197–205.
Shao ZH, Xie JT, Vanden Hoek TL, Mehendale S, Aung H, Li CQ, et al. Antioxidant effects of American ginseng berry extract in cardiomyocytes exposed to acute oxidant stress. Biochim Biophys Acta 2004; 1670: 165–71.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xie, Jt., Wang, Cz., Wang, Ab. et al. Antihyperglycemic effects of total ginsenosides from leaves and stem of Panax ginseng. Acta Pharmacol Sin 26, 1104–1110 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7254.2005.00156.x
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7254.2005.00156.x
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Biotransformation approach to produce rare ginsenosides F1, compound Mc1, and Rd2 from major ginsenosides
Archives of Microbiology (2024)
-
Revealing topics and their evolution in biomedical literature using Bio-DTM: a case study of ginseng
Chinese Medicine (2017)
-
Fermentation of ginseng extracts by Penicillium simplicissimum GS33 and anti-ovarian cancer activity of fermented products
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology (2014)
-
Ginseng and obesity: Observations from assorted perspectives
Food Science and Biotechnology (2014)
-
Ginsenoside Re: Its chemistry, metabolism and pharmacokinetics
Chinese Medicine (2012)