Effect of Jindangwon on streptozotocin-induced diabetes

An HPLC method for the determination of adenosine diphosphate: An important marker of hexokinase activity in metabolic diseases

Hexokinases play a critical role in the cellular uptake and utilization of glucose. As such, they are of fundamental importance to all cells. By catalyzing glucose to produce glucose-6-phosphate, hexokinases control the first irreversible step of glucose metabolism and initiate all major pathways of glucose consumption. Our objective was to develop and validate highly sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) assays allowing the determination of adenosine diphosphate, which was used for the determination of hexokinase activity. Samples were analyzed by HPLC-PDA using a C₁₈ analytical column (250 × 4.6 mm) for chromatographic separation. Optimal detection was achieved based on isocratic elution with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of sodium phosphate monobasic buffer and methanol. This method met all of the requirements of specificity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy and stability generally accepted in bioanalytical chemistry and was successfully applied to a study of hexokinase activity in an alloxan-induced diabetic rat model. Determination of hexokinase activity will permit characterization of cellular metabolic state in many diseases, such as cancer and diabetes.

Effect of Amorphophallus Konjac oligosaccharides on STZ-induced diabetes model of isolated islets

Three oligosaccharide fractions from the root of Amorphophallus Konjac, which was reported with hypoglycemic effects on diabetes subjects, were isolated and studied using the STZ-treated diabetes model. Among them, one fraction named as KOS-A, was found with nitric oxide (NO(*)) free radical regulation effect, while the other two were not. At concentrations less than 1.5 mM, KOS-A positively decreased STZ-induced NO(*) level of islets, but normal NO(*) release for non-STZ-treated islets was not affected within the range. At 15 mM, KOS-A played a contrary role and increased NO(*) level for islets both with and without STZ-treatment. Islets insulin secretion changed corresponding to NO(*) level in the assay. Increased insulin secretion appeared parallel to the decrease of NO(*), and normal insulin release was not affected by KOS-A less than 1.5 mM. Structure determination of KOS-A shows that it is a tetrasaccharide with Mw of 666 Da and reductive end of alpha-D-mannose. These results indicate that low dosage of KOS-A, with its function on attenuating STZ-induced NO(*) level, doesn't alter normal NO(*) and insulin secretion pathways of isolated islets. The NO(*) attenuation function of KOS-A on the diabetes model is mainly resulted from environmental free radical scavenging by the oligosaccharide. Present results also imply the mechanism of clinical Amorphophallus Konjac hypoglycemic function maybe related with free radical attenuation and lower risks of islets damage from NO(*) radical.