Published online Jun 15, 2023. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v14.i6.846
Peer-review started: December 16, 2022
First decision: February 20, 2023
Revised: March 21, 2023
Accepted: April 17, 2023
Article in press: April 17, 2023
Published online: June 15, 2023
Processing time: 181 Days and 7 Hours
Although Lomatogonium rotatum (LR) has a long history of usage as a hypoglycemic agent in Mongolian folk medicine, the evidence-based pharmacological properties and mechanisms of action of this medicinal plant have not yet been thoroughly explained.
The current study explored the hypoglycemic effects and mechanism of LR in a high-fat, high-sugar diet and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rat model.
The current study aimed to emphasize the hypoglycemic action mechanism of LR in a type 2 diabetic rat model and examine potential biomarkers to obtain mechanistic insight into the serum metabolite modifications.
A combination of feeding a high-fat, high-sugar diet and streptozotocin injections were applied to develop type 2 diabetes in rats. The high performance liquid chromatography technique was used to determine the chemical composition of LR. LR extract was given through oral gavage at doses of 0.5 g/kg, 2.5 g/kg, and 5 g/kg on a weekly basis for a period of 4 wk. The histopathological examination, as well as the assessment of blood glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and lipid levels, were used to evaluate the anti-diabetic effects of LR extract. A method known as untargeted metabolomics was used in order to study the metabolites found in serum.
The primary active components found in LR included swertiamarin, sweroside, hesperetin, coumarin, 1.7-dihydroxy-3,8-dimethoxyl xanthone, and 1-hydroxy-2,3,5 trimethoxanone. When compared to the model group, the LR therapy resulted in a large increase in plasma insulin and GLP-1 levels while simultaneously resulting in a significant reduction in blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and an oral glucose tolerance test. Analysis of blood samples using an untargeted metabolomic approach found a total of 236 metabolites, of which 86 showed altered levels of expression in the model compared to the LR group. In addition, LR caused significant changes in the levels of metabolites such as vitamin B6, mevalonate-5P, D-proline, L-lysine, and taurine. These metabolites are involved in the regulation of the metabolic pathways for vitamin B6, selenium amino acids, pyrimidine, arginine, and proline.
These findings indicated that the hypoglycemic effect of LR may be associated with alterations in serum metabolites, which in turn may facilitate insulin and GLP-1 activities, leading to a reduction in blood glucose and lipid profiles.
Further research is required to confirm the levels of target gene or protein expression that are linked to the changed metabolic pathways and to demonstrate how LR extract lowers blood glucose at the molecular level.