Search for Plant Extracts with Protective Effects of Pancreatic Beta Cell against Oxidative Stress

Diabetes mellitus is metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia caused by insufficient insulin secretion or insulin receptor insensitivity to endogenous insulin. It is well-known that hyperglycemia is one of the main causes of oxidative stress in both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Oxidative stress is related by death of pancreatic β cell and dysfunction of β cell. Although β cell death or dysfunction is induced by many substances or molecules, increased evidences that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in β cell death or dysfunction. Considering the importance of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, we investigated the cytoprotective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in pancreatic β cell line RIN-m5F cell. 110 Plant sources were collected in Mt. Baek-du, and extracted with methanol. These extracts had been screened the protective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage in RIN-m5F cells at 50 and 200 ㎍/ml. Of these, ten methanolic extracts, aerial part of Erigenron cannadensis, aerial part of Lespedeza juncea, whole plant of Alopecurus aequalis, fruit of Lycium chinense, leaf of Morus alba, rhizome of Polygonatum odoratum, root of Ampelosis japonica, whole plant of Ranunculus japonicus, aerial part of Polygonum sieboldii, rhizome of Arisaema amurense var. violaceum showed significant protective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage in pancreatic β cell line RIN-m5F cell.