본 실험은 문헌상으로 혈당강하효과가 알려져 있는 인동초를 에탄올로 추출하여 그 추출물을 streptozotocin(STZ)으로 당뇨를 유발시킨 흰쥐에게 투여 후 혈당강하작용을 확인하였다. 또한, 그 유효 성분의 추적을 위하여 여러 용매(hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol, water)로 계통분획하여 그 추출물의 항 당뇨효능을 분석한 결과 hexane, water층의 분획물이 당뇨유발 흰쥐에서 glycogen 함량증가와 glucose-6-phosphatase(G-6-Pase), glucose-6-phosphate dedehydrogenase (G-6-PDH)등의 당대사효소 활성에 효과가 있었다.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary Indongcho(L. japonica Thunb) powder on blood glucose, serum lipid levels and antioxidative enzymes in normal and streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Four groups of rats(3-week-old inbred Sprague-Dawley male rats) were normal rats fed control diet(NC), diabetic rats fed control diet(DC), normal rats fed Indongcho powder diet(NI), and diabetic rats fed Indongcho powder diet(DI). Diabetes was induced by single injection of streptozotocin(60mg/kg B.W., i.p.). The animals were fed ad libium each of the experimental diet for 5 weeks. Food and water intakes were determined everyday. Blood glucose and serum total cholesterol levels were determined every week. After 5 weeks the animals were sacrificed and activities of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation products were determined in their liver and kidney homogenates. We also determined serum concentrations of total lipid(TL), total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG) and HDL-cholesterol(HDL-C). Blood sugar and water intake were higher in diabetic group(DC and DI group) than normal group(NC and NI group) and were not significantly decreased by dietary Indongcho intake. Body weight gain and FER(feed efficiency ratio) were reduced by STZ treatment. But, Final body weight was recovered by Indongcho-contained diet. LHR(LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol) of the DI g re up was significantly lower than the other experimental groups(NC, NI and DC groups). The hepatic glucose 6-phosphatase(G6Pase) activity of the groups fed Indongcho diet(NI and DI group) was lower than the groups fed control diet(NC and DC group) and the G6Pase activity of NI group was recovered to the normal levels(p<0.05). However, The glutathione peroxidase(GPx) and glutathione reductase(GR) activities in liver and G6Pase activity in kidney were not statistically different between the control and diabetic control groups. Renal GST activity of the DI group was recovered by Indongcho intake. In conclusion, these results confirm oxidative stress in the liver and kidney of rats with STZ diabetes and antioxidative effect of Indongcho.