Antihyperglycemic effects of total ginsenosides from leaves and stem of Panax ginseng

The antihyperglycemic effects of the total ginsenosides in Chinese ginseng (TGCG), extracted from leaves and the stem, were evaluated in diabetic C57BL/6J ob/ob mice.

Animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of TGCG (100 and 200 mg/kg) or oral administration (150 and 300 mg/kg) for 12 d. Fasting blood glucose levels and body weight were measured after fasting the animals for 4 h. Peripheral glucose use was also measured using an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test.

In the injection group, a high dose of TGCG (200 mg/kg) significantly lowered the fasting blood glucose levels in ob/ob mice on d 12 (153+/-16 mg/dL vs 203+/-9.8 mg/dL, P<0.01, compared to vehicle-treated group). In the oral group, blood glucose decreased notably with a dose of TGCG (300 mg/kg) on d 12 (169.1+/-12.6 mg/dL vs 211.6+/-13.8 mg/dL, P<0.05, compared to the vehicle-treated group). Glucose tolerance was also improved markedly in ob/ob mice. Furthermore, a significant reduction in bodyweight (P<0.05) was observed after 12 d of TGCG (300 mg/kg) treatment in mice from the oral group.

The results indicated that in a diabetic ob/ob mouse model TGCG was endowed with significant anti-hyperglycemic and anti-obesity properties. Therefore, the total ginsenosides extracted from Chinese ginseng leaves and the stem may have some potential for treating diabetes.