Antidiabetic effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) extract and exercise training on high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: A positive interaction.

• Main Authors: Graziele Freitas de Bem, Cristiane Aguiar Costa, Izabelle Barcellos Santos, Viviane da Silva Cristino Cordeiro, Lenize Costa Reis Marins de Carvalho, Marcelo Augusto Vieira de Souza, Ricardo de Andrade Soares, Pergentino José da Cunha Sousa, Dayane Teixeira Ognibene, Angela Castro Resende, Roberto Soares de Moura
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2018-01-01
• Series: PLoS ONE
• Online Access: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6007924?pdf=render

A growing body of evidence suggests a protective role of polyphenols and exercise training on the disorders of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to assess the effect of the açaí seed extract (ASE) associated with exercise training on diabetic complications induced by high-fat (HF) diet plus streptozotocin (STZ) in rats. Type 2 diabetes was induced by feeding rats with HF diet (55% fat) for 5 weeks and a single dose of STZ (35 mg/kg i.p.). Control (C) and Diabetic (D) animals were subdivided into four groups each: Sedentary, Training, ASE Sedentary, and ASE Training. ASE (200 mg/kg/day) was administered by gavage and the exercise training was performed on a treadmill (30min/day; 5 days/week) for 4 weeks after the diabetes induction. In type 2 diabetic rats, the treatment with ASE reduced blood glucose, insulin resistance, leptin and IL-6 levels, lipid profile, and vascular dysfunction. ASE increased the expression of insulin signaling proteins in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue and plasma GLP-1 levels. ASE associated with exercise training potentiated the reduction of glycemia by decreasing TNF-α levels, increasing pAKT and adiponectin expressions in adipose tissue, and IR and pAMPK expressions in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic rats. In conclusion, ASE treatment has an antidiabetic effect in type 2 diabetic rats by activating the insulin-signaling pathway in muscle and adipose tissue, increasing GLP-1 levels, and an anti-inflammatory action. Exercise training potentiates the glucose-lowering effect of ASE by activating adiponectin-AMPK pathway and increasing IR expression.