Cathinone: An alkaloid of Catha edulis (Khat) exacerbated hyperglycemia in diabetes-induced rats |
| |
Authors: | Abdulsamad Alsalahi Zamri Chik Zahurin Mohamed Nelli Giribabu Mohammed Abdullah Alshawsh |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;2. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sana’a University, Mazbah District, 1247 Sana’a Secretariat, Yemen;3. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| |
Abstract: | Cathinone, the main bioactive alkaloid of Catha edulis (khat), slightly increased the blood sugar levels of healthy animals, while its effect on blood sugar levels of diabetic animals has not yet been reported. This study investigated the in vitro inhibition of cathinone on α-amylase and α-glucosidase as well as its in vivo glycemic effects in diabetes-induced rats. Rats were fed on a high fat diet for five weeks, which then intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (30 mg/kg). Diabetic rats were distributed randomly into diabetic control (DC, n = 5), 10 mg/kg glibenclamide-treated group (DG, n = 5), and 1.6 mg/kg cathinone-treated group (CAD, n = 5). Additional healthy untreated rats (n = 5) served as a nondiabetic negative control group. Throughout the experiment, fasting blood sugar (FBS), caloric intake and body weight were recorded weekly. By the 28th day of treatment, rats were euthanized to obtain blood samples and pancreases. The results demonstrated that cathinone exerted a significantly less potent in vitro inhibition than α-acarbose against α-amylase and α-glucosidase. As compared to diabetic control group, cathinone significantly increased FBS of diabetic rats, while insulin levels of diabetic rats significantly decreased. In conclusion, cathinone was unable to induce a substantial in vitro inhibition on α-amylase and α-glucosidase, while it exacerbated the hyperglycemia of diabetes-induced rats. |
| |
Keywords: | Cathinone Khat Diabetes mellitus α-Amylase α-Glucosidase |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|