Hypoglycemic properties of Portulaca oleracea herb in the experimental conditions of dexamethasone diabetes mellitus in rats

• Main Authors: A. O. Kinichenko, V. S. Klevanova, S. D. Trzhetsynskiy, N. N. Maletskiy
• Format: Article
• Language: Ukrainian
• Published: The State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine 2018-08-01
• Series: Фармацевтичний журнал
• Subjects: Portulaca oleracea; insulin resistance; dexamethasone diabetes mellitus
• Online Access: https://pharmj.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/42/39

Nowadays the diabetes mellitus has epidemic character. That’s why searching and creating of new medicines for effective therapy of this pathology are actual. Phytotherapy is one of the components in the complex treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2. It combines a wide range of pharmacological actions, fewer side effects and toxic reactions on the human body than synthetic drugs. Plants of genus of Portulaca L. can be perspective sources for searching new medicinal plants. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is used in folk medicine as hypoglycemic agent. The aim of the research was to study the hypoglycemic activity of the infusion of Portulaca oleracea herb. Simulation of insulin resistance was performed with intramuscular injections of glucocorticoids (Dexamethasone, 0.125 mg/kg). Portulaca oleracea infusion administered orally at the dose 10 ml/kg. Gliclazide freshly suspension was used as a reference drug and it was administered orally by 50 mg/kg. Characteristic of glucose homeostasis was carried out using a short insulin test, oral glucose tolerance test. Also assessed the effect of Portulaca oleracea infusion and reference drug on adrenaline hyperglycemia. Glucose level at 30 minutes after administration of insulin in the group that received Portulaca oleracea infusion reduced on 53.9%. There was a decrease on 37.5% in the group of diabetic control, and in the intact group – on 60.2%. The result of oral test of glucose tolerance showed that the area under the glycemic curve in groups that received Portulaca oleracea infusion (314.9 mmol/L·min) and reference drug Gliclazide (376.0 mmol/L·min) did not significantly differ from the similar area of the intact group (372.7 mmol/L·min). The administration of the epinephrine hydrochloride solution caused a sharp and significant increase in the glucose level in the diabetic control group. 90 minutes after the epinephrine injection the glucose level in animals which received Portulaca oleracea infusion increased in 3.15 times, and in the reference-group – in 1.97 times, which significantly differs from the diabetic control group. The obtained results indicate that the infusion of Portulaca oleracea herb reduce the formation of insulin resistance and glucose tolerance in the conditions of experimental dexamethasone diabetes mellitus in rats.