Gelidium elegans Extract Ameliorates Type 2 Diabetes via Regulation of MAPK and PI3K/Akt Signaling

• Published in: Nutrients 2018-01, Vol.10 (1), p.51
• Main Authors: Choi, Jia, Kim, Kui-Jin, Koh, Eun-Jeong, Lee, Boo-Yong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; AKT protein; Algae; Animals; Asia; Biological activity; Biological effects; Biomarkers - blood; Blood glucose; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body mass; Body size; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - enzymology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - prevention & control; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; fasting; Gelidium; Glucose; Glucose metabolism; Glucose transporter; Glucose Transporter Type 4 - metabolism; glucose transporters; Glycated Hemoglobin - metabolism; glycemic effect; glycohemoglobin; Hemoglobin; Hypoglycemic Agents - isolation & purification; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Insulin; Insulin receptor substrate 1; insulin receptor substrate proteins; Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins - metabolism; Kinases; Male; MAP kinase; Metabolism; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; mitogen-activated protein kinase; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Polyphenols; Protein kinase; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Rhodophyta - chemistry; Signal transduction; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Time Factors; Water consumption
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu10010051

, a red alga native to the Asia Pacific region, contains biologically active polyphenols. We conducted a molecular biological study of the anti-diabetic effect of extract (GEE) in C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice. Mice that had been administered GEE had significantly lower body mass, water consumption, and fasting blood glucose than db/db controls. Moreover, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), an indicator of the glycemic status of people with diabetes, was significantly lower in mice that had been administered GEE. We also found that 200 mg/kg/day GEE upregulates the insulin signaling pathway by activating insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and increasing the expression of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4). In parallel, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity was lower in GEE-treated groups. In summary, these findings indicate that GEE regulates glucose metabolism by activating the insulin signaling pathway and downregulating the MAPK signaling pathway.