Hypoglycemic activity of the extracts of Belamcanda chinensis leaves (BCLE) on KK-A ^y mice

The extract of Belamcanda chinensis (L.) leaves (BCLE) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of hyperglycemia in Hainan province, South China. In this study, the effects of BCLE on obese diabetes were investigated using the KK-A ^y mice. The component F2 of BCLE alleviate hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, as indicated by decreased levels of FBG, AUC, GSP, LDH and insulin. High levels of hepatic G6Pase and PEPCK in KK-A ^y mice were markedly attenuated by F2. The inhibitory effect of F2 on GSK-3β and the enhancement effect on liver glycogen demonstrated that F2 could significantly inhibit hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogen accumulation. The higher PPAR γ showed F2 may prevent insulin resistance by PI3K signal transduction pathway. In addition, the component F1 of BCLE prevented cell degeneration and reduced pathological tissue injury in pancreas tissue. These findings suggest that F2 exhibited high hypoglycemic activities and could be explored as possible therapeutic agents for type 2 diabetes mellitus.