Evaluation of Effects of Chinese Prescription Kangen-karyu on Diabetes-Induced Alterations such as Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in the Liver of Type 2 Diabetic dbdb Mice

Abstract EN

The present study was conducted to examine whether Kangen-karyu has an ameliorative effect on diabetes-induced alterations such as oxidative stress and apoptosis in the liver of type 2 diabetic db/db mice.

Kangen-karyu (100 or 200 mg/kg body weight/day, p.o.) was administered every day for 18 weeks to db/db mice and its effect was compared with vehicle-treated db/db and m/m mice.

The administration of Kangen-karyu decreased the elevated serum glucose and leptin concentrations in db/db mice, and reduced the increased oxidative biomarkers including the generation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation in the liver.

The db/db mice exhibited the upregulation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase subunits, NF-E2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase-1, nuclear factor-kappa B, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase levels in the liver; however, Kangen-karyu treatment significantly reduced those expressions.

Moreover, the augmented expressions of apoptosis-related proteins, Bax, cytochrome c, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), phosphor-JNK, AP-1, and caspase-3, were downregulated by Kangen-karyu administration.

Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the increased hepatocellular damage in the liver of db/db mice improved by Kangen-karyu administration.

Our findings support the therapeutic evidence for Kangen-karyu ameliorating the development of diabetic hepatic complications via regulating oxidative stress and apoptosis.