Effect of Ganoderma lucidum hydroalcoholic extract on insulin release in rat-isolated pancreatic islets

Ganoderma Lucidum [G. Lucidum] has been suggested to increase serum insulin level. This study was undertaken to investigate its direct effect on the islets of Langerhans. Male albino Wistar rats were anesthetized and the islets were isolated after digestion of the pancreas with collagenase. The islets were incubated for 60 min in Krebs bicarbonate buffer containing 3 or 10 mM glucose in the presence of hydroalcoholic extract of G. Lucidum [1 mg/ml], 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine [IBMX, 100 micro M] or vehicle. Exposure of islets to the extract increased insulin secretion at basal [3 mM] glucose concentration. Increase of glucose concentration to 10 mM resulted in a significant increase in the rate of insulin secretion. While the IBMX could augment insulin release evoked by 10 mM glucose, the extract failed to modify it. Our results demonstrate that G. lucidum acts directly on the Langerhans islets to increase basal insulin release

Anti-spasmodic and anti-nociceptive effects of teucrium polium aqueous extract

Teucrium polium has been known as an important traditional medicinal plant and is used for different therapeutic purposes such as gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, the anti-spasmodic and anti-nociceptive activities of aqueous extract of Teucrium polium was examined. Anti-spasmodic effect of different concentrations [47-470 mg/1] of Teucrium polium extract was assessed on acetylcholine [220 nM] precontracted guinea pig isolated ileum. The anti-cholinergic effect of the plant was also examined by obtaining concentration-response curves in the absence and presence of Teucrium polium extract [470 mg/1] and atropine [10 nM]. Anti-nociceptive effect of different doses [30-240 mg/kg] of Teucrium polium aqueous extract was determined by hot-plate test on mice and compared with the effect of morphine [10 mg/kg] as positive control. Maximum inhibition response induced by Teucrium polium extract on contraction induced by acetylcholine [220 nM] was 93.5%. In the absence and presence of Teucrium polium extract [470 mg/I] and atropine [10 nM] the EC50 [the effective concentration causing 50% of maximum response] of Ach were 28.3 +/- 2.1, 55.4 +/- 3.7 and 208.1 +/- 9.2 nM respectively. There was also a parallel right-ward shift in the log concentration-response curve of acetylcholine in the presence of atropine, but a non-parallel shift in the presence of Teucrium polium extract. The Teucrium polium extract increased reaction time dose-dependently [P<0.01 for all doses]. However the anti-nociceptive effect of extract was significantly less than that of morphine [P<0.001]. These results show that Teucrium polium aqueous extract have anti-nociceptive and anti-spasmodic effects and may have some clinical benefits for gastrointestinal disorders