Acute effects of a partially purified fraction from garlic on plasma glucose and cholesterol levels in rats: Putative involvement of nitric oxide

作者：Mehrzia Mokni; Ferid Limam; Mohamed Amri; Ezzedine Aouani^*

来源：Indian Journal of Biochemistry & Biophysics, 2006, 43(6): 386-390.

• garlic
• rat
• glucose
• cholesterol
• insulinemia
• nitric oxide

Garlic has been extensively used as a medicinal plant. Most of its numerous beneficial effects such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumoral involve sulfur-derived amino acids. In the present work, we reevaluated the acute effects of aqueous extract of garlic oil plasma glucose and cholesterol levels in normal rats. Control (vehicle H2O) or garlic extract-treated group at 100-120 mg protein/k- body wt were intraperitoneally injected (IP) and glucose, cholesterol, insulin and nitric oxide metabolites levels were determined after a short-term duration of 6 h. We confirmed that garlic contained ail active fraction, exerting both glucose and cholesterol-lowering activity. The glucose-lowering effect was triggered by ail increase in insulinemia. Preliminary study indicated that file active agent was different from S-allylcysteine-sulfoxide, the active principle implicated in hypoglycacinic and hypolipidemic effects of garlic or arginine. The mechanism of action seemed to involve nitric oxide (NO), which increased time and dose-dependently. The garlic effects were abolished by diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI = 1 mg/kg body wt), a specific inhibitor of NO production, suggesting the involvement Of Constitutive nitric oxide syntbase.

• 出版日期2006-12