ABSTRACT
The active fraction extracted from dragon's blood displayed an inhibitory effect on alpha-glucosidase activity with an IC50 of 0.152 microg/mL, which is nearly half of the crude material. Its inhibition on alpha-glucosidase was noncompetitive. In addition, when this fraction was orally administered to mice dosed with Acarbose (20 mg/kg), the active fraction (100, 300, 500 mg/kg) significantly suppressed increase of blood glucose levels after sucrose loading in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that this extract from dragon's blood exerts an anti-diabetic effect by suppressing intestinal carbohydrate absorption and thereby reducing the postprandial increase of blood glucose.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/drug therapy , Dracaena/chemistry , Glycoside Hydrolase Inhibitors , Hypoglycemic Agents/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Acarbose , Animals , Blood Glucose/drug effects , Carbohydrate Metabolism/drug effects , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/chemically induced , Enzyme Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Intestinal Absorption , MiceABSTRACT
A new dihydrochalcone, 4'-hydroxy-4,2'-dimethoxy-dihydrochalcone, was isolated from Chinese dragon's blood, the red resin of Dracaena cochinchinensis. Its structure was established by spectrum analysis.
