Endocrine Abstracts

Members of the Euphorbia L. genus have been used both in both traditional and alternative medicine for treatment of a wide range of disorders since time immemorial. Due to a wide spectrum of compounds of phoyphenolic nature, they are known to show anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, fungicidal and antileukemic effects. The work was initiated to study a hypoglycemic effect of polyphenolic compounds isolated from two types of the Euphorbia L. genus. Polyphenolic compounds isolated from various organs of Euphorbia ferganensis (euphobin-1) and Euphorbia franchetii (euphorbin-2) growing in Uzbekistan were the objects for the study. Experimental diabetes mellitus was induced in rats by means of multiple administration of a diabetogenic dose of alloxan. Blood glucose reaching 11–12 mmol/l in 10–12 days, optimal dose of euphorbin was administered intragastrically every day for 10 days. Effect of euphorbin on the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in blood and tissues of animals with experimental diabetes was compared to the one produced by quercetin, a polyphenol, and gliclazide, an antihyperglycemic agent. Optimal dose of euphorbin administered to animals with the induced alloxan diabetes was found to cause blood glucose decline from 12.0 to 8.1 mmol/l; the glycated hemoglobin reduced by 28%, while glycogen in the liver tissue increased by 14%. In rats with alloxan diabetes, the hexogenase activity in the muscles of the animals and the glucokinase activity in the liver could be seen. Euphorbin compounds, those of euphorbin 2, in particular, were found to decrease bloodcholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoproteins by 29, 35 and 18%, respectively, alongside with the increase in high density lipoproteins and lipase activity to the control values. Thus, the hypoglycemic effect produced by euphorbin formulations and quercetin is believed to be determined not only by their influence on the β-cells of pancreas when viable β-cells undertake functions of the damaged ones (Sedigheh Asgary et al., 2012), but also by partial restoration of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in the tissues of rats with alloxan diabetes.