Hypoglycaemic effect of the salt bush (Atriplex halimus) — a feeding source of the Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus)

Diabetologia, Dec 1969

The fact that the so-called “Sand Rat” (Psammomys obesus) is highly susceptible to diabetes, and succumbs to it while changing its food from green leaves to laboratory pellets, puzzled us for a long time. Several hypotheses for this phenomenon were suggested, based on the idea that the sand rats are predisposed to diabetes, and that diabetes occurs when the rats are fed on a high caloric diet. In addition to this, it was noticed that the diabetic rats have high plasma insulin levels, which indicated an impairment in their peripheral utilization of glucose. — Assuming that the green leaves which the sand rats find in nature prevent their becoming diabetic, we examined the main feeding source of the sand rats in Israel for possible hypoglycaemic activity. Press juice from green leaves of Atriplex halimus, as well as their water extract and dialysate, were fed to normal and to alloxan-diabetic albino rats, and showed a significant hypoglycaemic effect without any decrease in appetite. Moreover, their food and water intake was increased by 50–800% within 5 h after treatment. The effect was also preserved in the ash of the dialysate. The composition of the hypoglycaemic principle is now under study. It is not based on the presence of cations, since the active extracts contained K, Na, Ca, Mg and Al only.

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Hypoglycaemic effect of the salt bush (Atriplex halimus) — a feeding source of the Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus)

Hypoglyeaemic Effect of the Salt Bush (Atriplex Halimus) - a Feeding Source of the Sand Rat (Psammomys 0besus) Diabetologia 0 0 Department of Applied Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, ]:Iebrew University , Jerusalem , Israel Summary. The fact t h a t the so-called "Sand l~at" (Psammomys obesus) is highly susceptible to diabetes, and succumbs to it while changing its food from green leaves to laboratory pellets, puzzled us for a long time. Several hypotheses for this phenomenon were suggested, based on the idea t h a t the sand rats are predisposed to diabetes, and t h a t diabetes occurs when the rats are fed on a high caloric diet. I n addition to this, it was noticed t h a t the diabetic rats have high plasma insulin levels, which indicated an impairment in their peripheral utilization of glucose. -- Assuming t h a t the green leaves which the sand rats find in nature prevent their becoming diabetic, we examined the main feeding source of the sand rats in Israel for possible hypoglycaemie activity. Press juice from green leaves of Atriplex halimus, as well as their water extract and dialysate, were fed to normal and to alloxan-diabetic albino rats, and showed a significant hypoglyeaemie effect without any decrease in appetite. Moreover, their food and water intake was increased by 50--800% within 5 h after treatment. The effect was also preserved in the ash of the dialysate. The composition of the hypoglyeaemie principle is now under study. It is not based on the presence of cations, since the active extracts contained K, lqa, Ca, Mg and Al only. - (M~sH~:I~SKr) and F.G. S ~ : L ~ Hypoglylci~mischer Effelct yon Atriplex halimus -itauptnahrungsqueUe der Sandratte (Psammomys obesus) Zusammenfassung. Die Tatsaehe, dal3 die sogenannte ,,Sandratte" (Psammomys obesus) leicht zu Diabetes neigt, ist bekannt. W e n n ihr F u t t e r yon griinen B1/~ttern auf Laboratoriumsprel~linge umgestellt wird, entwickelt die Sandratte bald einen sehweren Diabetes. Verschiedene Hypothesen wurden aufgestellt, die auf der Annahme ful~ten, da2 die Sandratten Diabetes-empfindlieh seien und dal3 dieser Diabetes auftritt, wenn die R a t t e n auf kalorienreiehe Di/~t gesetzt werden, Dabei wurde festgestellt, dal3 die diabetischen Sandratten einen hohen Plasma-Insulin-Spiegelentwickeln, was darauf schliel3en l~l~t, dal~ hier eine Beeintr/ichtigung ihres peripheren GlucoseUtilisationsvermSgensvorliegt. -- Ausgehend yon der Annahme, dal3 die frischeu B1/~tter, welche die Sandratte in der Natur findet, das Auftreten des Diabetes verhiiten kSnnten, untersuehten wit die Hauptnahrungsquellen dieser Ratte in Israel auf ihre hypoglyk/imisehe Aktivit/~t. lgormale R a t t e n und alloxan-diabetische R a t t e n warden sowohl mit dem Prel~saft frischer B1/~tter vou Atriplex halimus (Staudenmelde) als auch mit deren w/il3rigem Auszug und Dialysat gefiittert. Dabei zeigte sieh, da2 diese Pflanze eine beaehtliehe hypoglyk/imische Wirkung besitzt, ohne den Appetit herabzusetzen. W/ihrend der ersten 5 Std naeh der Behandlung gingen Wasser- u n d Nahrmagsaufnahme sogar u m 50-- 800 % herauf. Der hypoglyk~mische Effekt bleibt auch in der Asche des Dialysats erhalten. Des wirksame hypoglyk/imische Prinzip yon Atriplex halimus wird jetzt yon uns untersucht. Es hat sieher niehts mit dem Kationengehalt der Extrakte zu tun, die nur K, Na, Ca, ?r u n d A1 enthalten. Key-words: Hypoglycaemic substances from plants, sand rat, psammomys obesus, atriplex halimus, diabetes mellitus, pancreas, carbohydrate metabolism. Introduction The s a n d r a t ( P s a m m o m y s obesus) is regarded as a useful a n i m a l for studies on e x p e r i m e n t a l diabetes, since diabetes ean be easily i n d u c e d i n this a n i m a l b y c h a n g i n g its diet from fresh vegetables to l a b o r a t o r y chow. A l m o s t all s a n d rats m a i n t a i n e d on a diet of lab o r a t o r y pellets develop signs of diabetes mellitus, e.g. hyperglycaemia, glueosuria a n d cataracts. A t a u t o p s y these a n i m a l s show d e g r a n u l a t i o n of the beta-cells of the islets of L a n g e r h a n s , a n d those with the m o s t severe diabetes a t the t i m e of d e a t h show also islet cell vaeuolization a n d glycogen nephrosis. S a n d rats t h a t were fed exclusively on fresh vegetables for a similar l e n g t h of time did n o t show a n y of these s y m p t o m s , n o r did animals w h e n e x a m i n e d i m m e d i a t e l y after trapping. On the other hand~ a high percentage of all rats e x a m i n e d - - b o t h n o r m a l a n d diabetic - - showed pneum o n i a a n d abscesses i n the jaws a n d skull at t i m e of death. There was no a p p a r e n t difference i n the inci Z. A~.~.~o~soN et al. : Hypoglycaemic Effect of Atriplex ttalimus dence of involvement between the diabetic group and the group fed vegetables, which was considered to be "non-diabetic". There is general belief t h a t " t h e sand rats are predisposed to diabetes and the (...truncated)


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Z. Aharonson, J. Shani (Mishkinsky), F. G. Sulman. Hypoglycaemic effect of the salt bush (Atriplex halimus) — a feeding source of the Sand Rat (Psammomys obesus), Diabetologia, 1969, pp. 379-383, Volume 5, Issue 6, DOI: 10.1007/BF00427975