Molecules (Nov 2020)

Crocins from <i>Crocus sativus</i> L. in the Management of Hyperglycemia. In Vivo Evidence from Zebrafish

  • Eleni Kakouri,
  • Adamantia Agalou,
  • Charalabos Kanakis,
  • Dimitris Beis,
  • Petros A. Tarantilis

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225223
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 22
p. 5223

Abstract

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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 carboxykinase1 (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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