Effect of chromium enriched fermentation product of barley and brewer's yeast and its combination with rosiglitazone on experimentally induced hyperglycaemia in mice

Abstract

Introduction. In the recent years, herbal preparations have been more used to treat diabetes. Dietetic supplement based on barley and beer yeast enriched with chromium (BBCr) is registered in Serbia as a supplement in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Objective To investigate the effect of the preparation based on barley and brewer's yeast with chromium (BBCr), rosiglitazone (R) and their combination (BBCr+R) on fasting glycaemia and glycaemia in mice after glucose, adrenalin and alloxan application. Methods The animals were divided into three groups: glucose 500 mg/kg (I); adrenalin 0.2 mg/kg (II); and alloxan 100 mg/kg (III) and into subgroups according to the substance they received (BBCr: 750 mg/kg, R: 0.75 mg/kg and BBCr+R). Each animal was its own control in respect of glycaemia before and after the treatment with test substances, except for group III which contained a placebo subgroup. Results BBCr caused a significant decrease of fasting glycaemia and significant reduction of glycaemia after glucose load compared to the values before treatment (7.4±0.6 mmol/l vs 9.2±0.6 mmol/l; p=0.01). R and BBCr+R significantly decreased glycaemia after adrenalin load (R: 8.6±1.8 mmol/l vs 15.4±3.2 mmol/l; p=0.004; BBCr+R: 9.6±2.4 mmol/l vs 15.0±4.4 mmol/l; p=0.04). After alloxan application the glycaemia was significantly lower in the subgroups treated with BBCr, R and BBCr+R compared to placebo subgroup (10.1±8.0 mmol/l vs 6.8±2.7 mmol/l vs 13.5±9.7 mmol/l vs 24.5±4.7 mmol/l; p=0.001). Conclusion Pretreatment with BBCr caused a significant reduction of fasting glycaemia and glycaemia after glucose load. Rosiglitazone and BBCr+R caused a significant reduction of glycaemia after adrenalin load. Pretreatment with BBCr, R and BBCr+R prevented the onset of experimental diabetes caused by alloxan, which was confirmed by histological analysis of pancreas tissue.