Abstract

There has been a growing interest in hypoglycaemic agents from natural products, especially those derived from plants. In the current survey, hypoglycaemic properties of Persian shallot (Allium hirtifolium Boiss) was evaluated by studying mRNA expression levels of the key enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism in liver, Glucokinase (GCK), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and glycogen phosphorylase. Thirty two male rats were divided into 4 groups of 8, diabetic groups received 100 and 200 mg/kg Persian shallot extract, diabetic control and normal control received 0.9% saline for 30 days. At the end of the experimental period blood and liver samples were collected. FBS and insulin levels were measured and followed by analysis of the gene expression by Real-Time PCR based methods. Findings indicated that the Persian shallot significantly reduces the FBS level in parallel with slight enhancement of insulin in diabetic rats’ serum. Investigations of gene expression showed that Persian shallot gently increased GCK and glycogen phosphorylase but decreased PEPCK gene activity, in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the data suggest that Persian shallot is an effective hypoglycaemic agent, the observed effect may be via its ability to enhance insulin secretion and GCK gene expression and to decrease hepatic glucose output by reducing PEPCK.

Key words: Persian shallot, Glucokinase, glycogen phosphorylase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, diabetes.