Dieckol isolated from brown seaweed Ecklonia cava attenuates type II diabetes in db/db mouse model

In the present study, the attenuation of type II diabetes by dieckol, a phlorotannin derivative isolated from brown seaweed, Ecklonia cava was investigated in C57BL/KsJ-db/db, a type II diabetes mouse model. Dieckol was administered intraperitoneal injection at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg body weight diabetes mice for 14 days. The blood glucose level, serum insulin level and body weight were significantly reduced in the dieckol administered group, compared to that of the saline administered group. Furthermore, reduced thiobarbituric acid reactive substraces (TBARS), as well as increased activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) in liver tissues were observed in the dieckol administered group. In addition, increased levels of the phosphorylation of AMPK and Akt were observed in the muscle tissues of the dieckol administered group in a Western blotting analysis. According to the findings of this study, it could be suggested that, dieckol can be developed as a therapeutic agent for type II diabetes. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.