Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine

Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine

Effect of Ganoderma lucidum hydroalcoholic extract on insulin release in rat-isolated pancreatic islets

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors
Reza Shafiee-Nick 1
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Parizadeh 2
Nona Zokaei 1
Ahmad Ghorbani 1
1 Pharmacological Research Center of Medicinal Plants, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, I. R. Iran
2 Biochemistry and Nutrition Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, I. R. Iran
10.22038/ajp.2012.110
Abstract
Objective: Ganoderma Lucidum (G. Lucidum) has been suggested to increase serum insulin level.This study was undertaken to investigateits direct effect on the islets of Langerhans.
Material and Methods: Male albino Wistar rats were anesthetized and the islets were isolated after digestion of the pancreas with collagenase. The islets were incubated for 60 min in Krebs bicarbonate buffer containing 3 or 10 mM glucose in the presence of hydroalcoholic extract of G. Lucidum (1 mg/ml), 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX, 100 µM) or vehicle.
Results: Exposure of islets to the extract increased insulin secretion at basal (3 mM) glucose concentration. Increase of glucose concentration to 10 mM resulted in a significant increase in the rate of insulin secretion. While the IBMX could augment insulin release evoked by 10 mM glucose, the extract failed to modify it.
Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that G. lucidum acts directly on the Langerhans islets to increase basal insulin release. 
Keywords
Ganoderma lucidum
Insulin
Isolated islets
Rat
Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine
Volume 2, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
September and October 2012
Pages 206-211