Anti-hyperglycemic effect of the polysaccharides fraction from American ginseng berry extract in ob/ob mice

In this study, we evaluated the anti-hyperglycemic effect of a polysaccharides fraction from American ginseng berry extract in diabetic ob/ob mice. All animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of polysaccharides at 150 mg/kg body wt. (n = 5), polysaccharides at 50 mg/kg body wt. (n = 5), or vehicle (n = 5) for 10 consecutive days. On Day 5, as compared to the vehicle-treated mice (230.5 ± 13.5 mg/dl, mean ±S.E), mice from both treated groups showed significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels (187.4 ± 20.5 mg/dl and 187.4 ± 17.1 mg/dl), respectively (both P < 0.05). On Day 10, compared to the vehicle group (240.1 ± 12.3 mg/dl), the 50 mg/kg dose group were at 188.4 ± 12.6 mg/dl ( P < 0.05), and the 150 mg/kg dose group were normoglycemic (148.8 ± 17.6 mg/dl, P < 0.01). Those ob/ob mice treated with vehicle did not, however, show significant changes in fasting blood glucose levels. Data from the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) showed that, compared to Day 0, there was a significant improvement in glucose tolerance in animals who received the 50 and 150 mg/kg polysaccharide doses, and the area under the curve (AUC) decreased 15.5% ( P < 0.05) and 28.2% ( P < 0.01), respectively. Interestingly, after cessation of polysaccharide treatment, the fasting blood glucose levels stayed lower, and returned to control concentration on Day 30. We also observed that the polysaccharides fraction did not affect body weight changes in ob/ob mice. Our data suggest that the polysaccharides fraction from American ginseng berry extract has a potential clinical utility in treating diabetic patients.