Effect of Opuntia salagria consumption on hepatic lipids from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

GILI, V.; SÁNCHEZ, S.S; ALONSO, T.S

Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba, Argentina

Congreso; XLIV Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2008

SAIB

A notorious increase in the medicinal use of plant natural products has been observed in the last years. The number of people with Diabetes mellitus increases on a daily basis. Cactus Opuntia has been reported to display hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects but the mechanisms involved have not been elucidated to date. Our previous studies in O. salagria, an Argentinean autochthonous species, evidenced that the oral administration of cladodes and seed powders reduces plasmatic cholesterol, triacylglycerides (TAG), LDL-c, HDL-c and VLDL-c and glycemia in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In this work we analyzed the effect of O. salagria administration on hepatic lipids from diabetic rats. Cladodes and fruits were collected from Bahía Blanca, dried and milled. Male Wistar rats were made diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of STZ and received a daily dietary supplementation with cladodes and seeds over one month. Hepatic lipids were extracted, separated by thin-layer chromatography and derivatized by methanolysis. Phospholipid and cholesterol levels were not affected by cladode and seed treatments while several changes in free fatty acid composition were recorded. As to TAG and diacylglycerides, an important decrease in their amount and significant changes in TAG composition were observed, thus suggesting a potential application of this cactus to diabetes dyslipidemia.