Effects of jumbo leek on blood glucose level in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and liver damage in acetaminophen-treated rats

Abstract

To investigate the physiological function of a high content of inulin in jumbo leek, the effects of freeze-dried, odorless jumbo leek with an inulin content of 60% (PSII) on the blood glucose level and biochemical markers in blood in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and the liver damage in acetaminophen (AAP)-treated rats were studied. In the first experiment, rats were fed PSII for two weeks following a one-week STZ (60 mg/kg) treatment. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were performed on days 7 and 14. Biochemical markers in blood were measured on day 14. In the second experiment, rats were fed PSII for two weeks and then administered AAP (500 mg/kg). After 24 h, liver-damage markers and the activities of blood aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) were measured and a histopathological examination of the liver was performed. In the first experiment, the elevation of blood glucose level in OGTT was suppressed by feeding rats 8.3 g PSII (5g inulin)/kg per day. Among the biochemical markers, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels rose in STZ-treated rats compared with control rats. PSII fed to STZ-treated rats lowered these two marker levels below those of the control rats. AST and ALT activities tended to decrease, suggesting that PSII ameliorated liver damage. In the second experiment, AST and ALT activities as well as the histopathological examination of liver confirmed that PSII (2 g/kg per day) protected rats from liver damage before AAP treatment.