LAUSR

This study investigated the effects of aqueous fruit extracts of Carissa carandas (CCA) on inflammation and insulin resistance using an in vitro cellular model, in vivo high-fat diets, and a streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic (T2DM) rat model. CCA significantly ameliorated inflammation by decreasing nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. Interestingly, CCA showed anti-insulin resistance activities, as it significantly improved glucose uptake and decreased glycerol release in LPS-induced 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In vivo studies showed that a high dose of 12-week oral supplementation of CCA (400 mg/kg BW/day) significantly reduced visceral fat, triglycerides, and cholesterol level in the blood of diabetic rats. Importantly, the metabolic parameters in both fasting and postprandial states, including fasting plasma glucose, HOMA-IR, and glucose intolerance, significantly improved, indicating its antihyperglycemic benefit in diabetic rats. Moreover, the results of the HOMA-β and histological examination suggested that pancreatic β-cell function and pancreatic morphological changes of the CCA and metformin treatments appeared to be better than those in non-treated diabetes, indicating the protective effect of CCA against pancreatic damage caused by hyperglycemia. In conclusion, the present study first reported that the C. carandas fruit extract has anti-inflammation and anti-insulin resistance, and subsequently improved glycemic control in the T2DM rat model.