Spirulina: Possible pharmacological evaluation for insulin-like protein

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperaminoacidemia, and hypoinsulinemia that leads to reduction in both insulin secretion and insulin action. Several natural products have been isolated and identified to restore the complications of diabetes. Spirulina is a naturally occurring freshwater cyanobacterium, enriched with proteins and essential nutrients. Treatment of diabetic rats with crude, aqueous extract, ethanolic extract, and insulin-like protein of Spirulina successfully ameliorated diabetic complications by increasing body weight and significantly decreasing the levels of blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, serum uric acid, and blood urea nitrogen (p < 0.0001). Comparatively, the crude extract and insulin-like protein were found to be more effective than the aqueous and ethanolic extracts. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.