Antihyperglycemic activity of Tarralin™, an ethanolic extract of Artemisia dracunculus L

• Published in: Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) 2006-09, Vol.13 (8), p.550-557
• Main Authors: Ribnicky, D.M., Poulev, A., Watford, M., Cefalu, W.T., Raskin, I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antidiabetic; Artemisia - chemistry; Artemisia dracunculus; Blood glucose; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Drug therapy; Gene Expression - drug effects; GLP-1; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 - antagonists & inhibitors; Glutathione Peroxidase - drug effects; Health aspects; Hyperglycemia; Hypoglycemia; Hypoglycemic Agents - analysis; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Liver - enzymology; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Medicine, Botanic; Medicine, Herbal; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; PEPCK; Plant Extracts - analysis; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Russian tarragon
• ISSN: 0944-7113; 1618-095X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2005.09.007

The studies reported here were undertaken to examine the antihyperglycemic activity of an ethanolic extract of Artemisia dracunculus L., called Tarralin™ in diabetic and non-diabetic animals. In genetically diabetic KK-A γ mice, Tarralin™ treatment by gavage (500 mg/kg body wt./day for 7 days) lowered elevated blood glucose levels by 24% from 479±25 to 352±16 mg/dl relative to control animals. In comparison, treatment with the known antidiabetic drugs, troglitazone (30 mg/kg body wt./day) and metformin (300 mg/kg body wt./day), decreased blood glucose concentrations by 28% and 41%, respectively. Blood insulin concentrations were reduced in the KK-A γ mice by 33% with Tarralin™, 48% with troglitazone and 52% with metformin. In (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, Tarralin™ treatment, (500 mg/kg body wt./day for 7 days), also significantly lowered blood glucose concentrations, by 20%, from 429±41 to 376±58 mg/dl relative to control. As a possible mechanism, Tarralin™ was shown to significantly decrease phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) mRNA expression by 28% in STZ-induced diabetic rats. In non-diabetic animals, treatment with Tarralin™ did not significantly alter PEPCK expression, blood glucose or insulin concentrations. The extract was also shown to increase the binding of glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) to its receptor in vitro. These results indicate that Tarralin™ has antihyperglycemic activity and a potential role in the management of diabetic states.