People have been using plants and other natural products to treat diseases for thousands of years. A new research led by the Universit of California has found a good candidate for more research.
An international team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine has found that treatment with an extract from the roots of the Rhodiola rosea plant may be useful in helping to manage type 2 diabetes.
According to a study that was just recently published online in Scientific Reports, Rhodiola rosea reduced a number of inflammatory biomarkers and improved insulin response in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. It also decreased fasting blood sugar levels and altered the composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
“Current treatment recommendations,” according to corresponding author Dr. Mahtab Jafari, “include lifestyle changes as well as oral and intravenous medications. However, these drugs have significant limitations or side effects, increasing the need for new therapeutic interventions.”
The team used a genetically modified mouse model that gets fat, is resistant to insulin, and has high blood sugar, just like a person with advanced type 2 diabetes.
They did this to see if Rhodiola rosea could help keep glucose levels in the body stable. Age-matched male and female mouse cohorts were randomly assigned to either the control group, which got water, or the experimental group, which received Rhodiola rosea extract.
According to Jafari’s research, Rhodiola rosea may help treat type 2 diabetes by altering the microbiota in a way that increases gut barrier integrity and reduces the translocation of inflammatory chemicals into the bloodstream.
The health of the gut barrier affects how the body responds to insulin, and this herbal supplement, according to the authors, may enhance how the liver and muscles react to pancreatic insulin.
The next step for the team is to do a larger follow-up study on a different mouse model of diabetes caused by being overweight in order to confirm these results and look into the molecular mechanisms at work. In the end, Jafari wants to carry out clinical trials on type 2 diabetes patients using Rhodiola rosea.
The findings of the study present “a solid case for the importance of conducting high-quality pre-clinical studies based on sound methodologies to evaluate the efficacy of standardized plant extracts.”
“We have set the stage for human clinical studies, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes for type 2 diabetes patients,” Jafari said.
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