Padina Arborescens Ameliorates Hyperglycemia and Dyslipidemia in C57BL/KsJ-db/db Mice, a Model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Recently, there has been a growing interest in alternative therapies and in the therapeutic use of natural products for the treatment of diabetes. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of brown algae, Padina arborescens, in an animal model of type 2 diabetes. For 6 weeks, male C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice were administrated either control diet with no treatment or were treated with rosiglitazone (RG; 0.005%, w/w) or P. arborescens extract (PAE; 0.5%, w/w). At the end of the experimental period, the blood glucose levels, glycosylated hemoglobin levels, and plasma insulin levels were significantly lower in the RG and PAE groups compared with the control group. In addition, glucose tolerance was significantly improved in the RG and PAE groups. The homeostatic index of insulin resistance was lower in the RG and PAE groups than the diabetic control group. Also, the total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, and free fatty acid levels were lower in the PAE ...