Crocins from Crocus sativus L. in the Management of Hyperglycemia. In Vivo Evidence from Zebrafish |
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| Authors: | Eleni Kakouri Adamantia Agalou Charalabos Kanakis Dimitris Beis Petros A. Tarantilis |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, 111855 Athens, Greece; (E.K.); (C.K.);2.Developmental Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; |
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| Abstract: | Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by persistent high blood glucose levels and accompanied by impaired metabolic pathways. In this study, we used zebrafish to investigate the effect of crocins isolated from Crocus sativus L., on the control of glucose levels and pancreatic β-cells. Embryos were exposed to an aqueous solution of crocins and whole embryo glucose levels were measured at 48 h post-treatment. We showed that the application of crocins reduces zebrafish embryo glucose levels and enhances insulin expression. We also examined whether crocins are implicated in the metabolic pathway of gluconeogenesis. We showed that following a single application of crocins and glucose level reduction, the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (pck1), a key gene involved in glucose metabolism, is increased. We propose a putative role for the crocins in glucose metabolism and insulin management. |
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| Keywords: | crocins, glucose, β -pancreatic cells, insulin, pck1 |
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