Anti-hyperglycemic activity of polysaccharides from calyx of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii Makino on alloxan-induced mice.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of polysaccharides (PPSC) isolated from calyx of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii Makino in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Seven polysaccharide fractions were obtained through a DEAE-52 column and Sephadex G-100 gel column and they were the main composes of PPSC. The PPSC treatment could prevent the loss of body weight in diabetic mice and result in a decrease of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated serum protein (GSP) and an increase of fasting serum insulin in a dose-dependent manner. The histopathological examination of pancreas revealed the ability of PPSC to protect and reverse β-cells from necrosis due destruction of alloxan in diabetic mice. Furthermore, oral PPSC upregulated the expression of PI3K, Akt and GLUT4 mRNA in skeletal muscles and adipose tissues. The results suggest that PPSC possess significant anti-diabetic activity, as evaluated using alloxanised diabetic mice model. Consequently, PPSC might be a promising candidate for the development of a new anti-diabetic agent.