Hypoglycemic effect of crude saponins of turnip (Brassica rapa L.) on diabetic mice | 芫根粗总皂苷对糖尿病小鼠的降血糖作用

Chinese. 研究芫根粗总皂苷（ST）对四氧嘧啶所致糖尿病小鼠血糖的影响。以体积分数70%乙醇加热提取芫根，并分别以石油醚和正丁醇萃取，得到芫根ST，测定正丁醇萃取相中总皂苷的含量；给昆明小鼠尾静脉注射 85 mg/kg 四氧嘧啶，建立糖尿病小鼠模型；用剂量为 500和1 000 mg/kg的ST对糖尿病小鼠灌胃7 d后，测定初始空腹血糖和最终空腹血糖，并在试验结束时处死小鼠，取胸腺、肝脏、脾脏和肾脏组织称质量计算脏器指数，分析ST对糖尿病小鼠口服耐糖量（OGTT）的改善情况。正丁醇萃取物中总皂苷的质量分数为(31.5±1.7)%（以薯蓣皂苷元计）；ST 500和 1 000 mg/kg灌胃组糖尿病模型小鼠在连续给药 7 d后，小鼠血糖显著降低（P＜0.05），并且其脏器指数得到了明显改善；500 mg/kg剂量的ST可以显著提高糖尿病模型小鼠的耐糖量。芫根粗总皂苷可显著降低四氧嘧啶致糖尿病小鼠的血糖。

English. The research was conducted to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of crude saponins of turnip (Brassica rapa L.) root (ST) on alloxan-induced diabetic mice. The ST was prepared by extracting Tibet turnip root with 70% ethanol: water with heat, and then the extractive sequentially fractioned by petroleum ether and n-butanol. The n-butanol franction is the crude saponins of turnip root. Diosgenin was used as a standard to measure the content of saponins in the n-butanol franction. The diabetic mice were induced by injecting 85 mg/kg b. w. to tail vein. After the initial blood glucose was measured, ST (500 and 1 000 mg/kg) was orally administrated to diabetic mice for 7 days. At the end of the experiment, fast blood glucose level was measured, and liver, kidney, spleen and thymus samples of mice were taken and weighed to calculate the tissue index. We also tested the ameliorating effect of ST to OGTT. There are (31.5±1.7)% (m/m) total saponins in the n-butanol fraction. ST (500 and 1 000 mg/kg) could significantly reduce the fasting blood glucose after 7 days of administration, and ST 500 mg/kg could improve the oral glucose tolerance of diabetic mice. Tibet turnip (Brassica rapa L.) root extract n-butanol fraction, named ST, has hypoglycemic effect on alloxan-induced diabetic mice.