Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Previous studies in our laboratory in ex vivo assays have demonstrated H. hemerocallidea extract as
potential antidiabetic agent through increased insulin release from pancreatic beta cells. Thus, for this study the early
stage type II spontaneous diabetic mutant mice model was used to evaluate and determine the degree of the antidiabetic
efficacy of H. hemerocallidea.
METHODS : Eight-weeks-old type II spontaneous pre-diabetic mutant BKS-Leprdb mice were fed with feed supplemented
with either H. hemerocallidea extract, isolated compound (β-sitosterol) or chlorpropamide (positive control)
for 4 weeks. The haematological parameters, clinical chemistry, glucose tolerance, feed intake, faecal output and body
weights were measured.
RESULTS : The blood glucose concentrations of all the animals treated with plant extract, β-sitosterol compound and
non-treated pre-diabetic animals did not return to baseline levels. Only the β-sitosterol treatment and positive control
groups resulted in a respective small decrease of 5.8 and 5.2% in the mouse weights over the study period, with no
significant changes (p > 0.05) in food intake. However, there was a general trend for decrease in faecal output for all
the groups. Albumin, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels in β-sitosterol and chlorpropamide-treated animals
were lower, relative to untreated-animals. Animals fed with plant extract showed large amounts of internal fat. There
were no significant changes (p > 0.05) in total serum protein, globulin, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase,
urea nitrogen and creatinine attributed to administration of treatments. In all groups, some animals showed lesions
associated with cardiac puncture. Few animals except animals treated with plant extract, showed presence of a leftventricular
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The liver and kidneys for all groups appeared macroscopically normal and
the thymuses were small (±2 mg). There were pathological signs in some of the animals particularly in myocardial
fibres, renal tubular, glomerular, hepatocyte granularity and pancreas islets. However, there was no significance trend
between the groups.
CONCLUSION : Based on the results, none of the treatments could be considered highly effective for the management
of type II pre-diabetes as sole therapeutic intervention.
