Toosendan Fructus ameliorates the pancreatic damage through the anti-inflammatory activity in non-obese diabetic mice

Objectives : The present study was conducted to examine whether Toosendan F ructus has an ameliorative effect on diabetes-induced alterations such as oxidative stress and in flammation in the pancreas of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, a model of human type I diabetes.Methods : Extracts of Toosendan Fructus (ETF) were administered to NOD mice at three doses (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg). Mice at 18 weeks of age were measured glucose t olerance using intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. After 28 weeks of ETF treatment, glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and proinflammatory cytokines in serum, western blot analyses and a histopathologic al examination in pancreas tissue, and on the onset of diabetes were investigated.Results : The results showed that levels of glucose, glucose tolerance, TC, TG , interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 in serum were down-regulated, while IL-4, IL- 10, SOD, and catalase significantly increased. In addition, ETF improved protein expression of proinflammatory mediaters (such as cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase) and a proapoptotic protein (ca spase-3) in the pancreatic tissue. Also, in the groups treated with ETF (100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg), insulitis and infiltration of granulocytes were alleviated. Conclusions : Based on these results, the anti-diabetic effect of ETF may b e due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. Our findings support the therapeutic evidence for Toose ndan Fructus ameliorating the development of diabetic pancreatic damage via regulating inflammation and apop tosis. Our future studies will be focused on the search for active compounds in these extracts.Key words : Toosendanin fructose, Diabetes, inflammatory cytokine, pancrea tic beta cell