Hypoglycemic effects of a Fructus Mori polysaccharide in vitro and in vivo

Mulberry fruit polysaccharide (MFP), one of the major active ingredients isolated from the mulberry fruit, possesses numerous bioactivities. In vitro hypoglycemic experiments showed that MFP had significant insulin-sensitizing activity through increasing insulin secretion and promoting pancreatic beta cell proliferation. In vivo, the oral administration of MFP could significantly decrease blood glucose levels and increase body weight loss in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. MFP also significantly decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) in the liver in STZ-induced diabetic mice. And histopathological examination showed that MFP could markedly alleviate damage to pancreas, liver and kidney tissue in STZ-induced diabetic mice. This study suggested that MFP had antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties and could provide a protective effect on STZ-induced diabetic mice.