| Summary: | <i>Opuntia dillenii</i> Ker Gawl. is one of the medicinal plants used for the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Morocco. This study aims to investigate the antihyperglycemic effect of <i>Opuntia dillenii</i> seed oil (ODSO), its mechanism of action, and any hypoglycemic risk and toxic effects. The antihyperglycemic effect was assessed using the OGTT test in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. The mechanisms of action were explored by studying the effect of ODSO on the intestinal absorption of <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>-glucose using the intestinal in situ single-pass perfusion technique. An Ussing chamber was used to explore the effects of ODSO on intestinal sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1). Additionally, ODSO’s effect on carbohydrate degrading enzymes, pancreatic α-amylase, and intestinal α-glucosidase was evaluated in vitro and in vivo using STZ-diabetic rats. The acute toxicity test on mice was performed, along with a single-dose hypoglycemic effect test. The results showed that ODSO significantly attenuated the postprandial hyperglycemia in normal and STZ-diabetic rats. Indeed, ODSO significantly decreased the intestinal <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>-glucose absorption in situ. The ex vivo test (Ussing chamber) showed that the ODSO significantly blocks the SGLT1 (IC<sub>50</sub> = 60.24 µg/mL). Moreover, ODSO indu\ced a significant inhibition of intestinal α-glucosidase (IC<sub>50</sub> = 278 ± 0.01 µg/mL) and pancreatic α-amylase (IC<sub>50</sub> = 0.81 ± 0.09 mg/mL) in vitro. A significant decrease of postprandial hyperglycemia was observed in sucrose/starch-loaded normal and STZ-diabetic ODSO-treated rats. On the other hand, ODSO had no risk of hypoglycemia on the basal glucose levels in normal rats. Therefore, no toxic effect was observed in ODSO-treated mice up to 7 mL/kg. The results of this study suggest that ODSO could be suitable as an antidiabetic functional food.
|
|---|