Wood vinegar, an extract from Acer Tegmentosum Maximowicz, was evaluated for its hypoglycemic and anti-diabetic properties by using normal and diabetic rats. The extract was dissolved in water and administered daily for six or seven weeks. In experiment 1, thirty normal Sprague- Dawley (SD) male rats were randomly divided into five treatments of 6 rats each. The treatments were T1 (mineral water), T2 (mineral water), T3 (silver solution), T4 (wood vinegar), and T5 (silver solution + wood vinegar) and diabetes was induced by intravenous injection of streptozotocin except T1. In experiment 2, sixteen diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) male rats were randomly divided into four treatments of 4 rats each. The treatments were T1 (mineral water), T2 (silver solution), T3 (wood vinegar), and T4 (silver solution + wood vinegar). Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats showed less body weight gain, more food intake and less water consumption as compared with normal non-diabetic rats. Oral administration of wood vinegar resulted in more weight gain, lower blood glucose concentration and urine pH among all the diabetic rats. In experiment 2, diabetic GK rats administrated with wood vinegar showed higher weight gain, food intake and less water intake when compared with control. However, supplementation with wood vinegar did not result in any decrease of blood glucose concentrations. It could be concluded that wood vinegar extracted from Acer Tegmentosum Maximowicz exerted hypoglycemic effect in diabetic-induced normal rats, but not in diabetic GK rats.

Most of recommended potato varieties in Korea are white skin colored. Purple skinned potatoes have been recognized as being effective in the prevention of gastric disease. A new variety “Jaseo” has dark purple skin and white flesh colors, and attractive r

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