Background: Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin due to the loss or dysfunction of pancreatic beta cells. This study investigated the beneficial effects of asiatic acid-a triterpenoid compound-preserved beta mass and mitigated hyperglycemia in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats.
Methods: Diabetes mellitus was induced in adult male Wistar rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (60 mg/kg body weight). The diabetic rats were divided into untreated and asiatic acid (25 mg/kg) groups. Controls were intraperitoneal injection with citrate buffer. Blood glucose level, plasma insulin, and pancreas immunohistochemistry analysis were examined after a 2-week experimental period. AKT and Bcl-xL expression in the pancreatic islets of rats were evaluated by Western blot methods.
Results: Blood glucose levels were significantly reduced in rats receiving asiatic acid after streptozocin administration. Asiatic acid concomitantly increased serum insulin levels in diabetic rats. Immunohistochemical staining revealed a marked preservation by asiatic acid of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets of the diabetic rats. Furthermore, asiatic acid in vivo induced pro-survival Akt kinase activation and Bcl-xL expression in the pancreatic islets of diabetic rats.
Conclusions: These results suggest that asiatic acid exerts its glucose-lowering effects, in part through influences on beta-cell mass. Asiatic acid administration resulted in preservation and restoration of beta-cell mass and function in diabetic rodent models.
2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.