PDF - Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

letter to editor
Adv Clin Exp Med 2013, 22, 3, 449–450
ISSN 1899–5276
© Copyright by Wroclaw Medical University
Hamid Nasri
Effect of Garlic Extract on Blood Glucose Level and Lipid
Profile in Normal and Alloxan Diabetic Rabbits
Wpływ wyciągu z czosnku na stężenie glukozy we krwi i profil lipidowy
u królików zdrowych i chorych na cukrzycę wywołaną alloksanem
Department of Nephrology, Division of Nephropathology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Key words: garlic, metformin, type 2 diabetic.
Słowa kluczowe: czosnek, metformina, cukrzyca typu 2.
Dear Sir,
We read with great interest the published article in the esteemed Journal of “Adv Clin Exp
Med”, by Sher et al., entitled “Effect of garlic extract on blood glucose level and lipid profile in
normal and alloxan diabetic rabbits” [1]. The study
has aimed to investigate the comparative hypoglycemic and hypolipidaemic activity of garlic extract
and metformin was the aim of the study in 24 normal and diabetic rabbits. In this study they found,
in normal as well as diabetic rabbits, garlic extract
produced hypoglycemia and hypolipidaemia like
metformin, but the hypoglycemic effect was more
pronounced with metformin, whereas garlic extract was more effective in causing hypolipidaemia
as compared to metformin [1].While, nephropathy is one of the most important complications of
diabetes mellitus [2–5], we would like to mention
a few points about the study conducted by Sher
et al. Recently in a preclinical study on fifty male
Wistar rats that co-administration or post administration of garlic juice for gentamicin-induced
acute renal failure was effective. In this study we
assumed that garlic is a nephroprotective drug to
ameliorate tubular damage by gentamicin or probably other nephrotoxic agents which act through
the mechanisms as this aminoglycoside [6]. More
recently, to test the efficacy of co-administration
of garlic extract and metformin for prevention of
gentamicin–renal toxicity in Wistar rats, we conducted another study on 70 male Wistar rats [11].
The result of this study demonstrates that metfor-
min and garlic juice or their combination has both
curative and protective effects against gentamicin
nephrotoxicity. Hence, garlic extract could safely
be used together with metformin to increase the
antioxident potency to ameliorate gentamicin-tubular toxicity [7]. In type 2 diabetes, metformin has
been widely used for the treatment blood glucose
control [8–10]. Recently, attention has been made
toward the possible kidney protective properties
of metformin [11]. In the study conducted by Morales et al., observed that gentamicin-induced renal
tubular injury is attenuated by metformin [12]. To
find the potential efficiency of metformin to renal
protection against gentamicin-induced acute renal injury and also to examine whether postpone
treatment with metformin in acute kidney injury,
exerts similar benefits on gentamicin renal toxicity
in rats, we conducted a study on Wistar rats [13].
We found that metformin was able to prevent and
attenuate gentamicin-induced acute kidney injury.
Hence, it might be beneficial in patients under
treatment with this drug [13]. Likewise, Bruckbauer et al. conducted a study to evaluate the synergistic effects of metformin, resveratrol and hydroxymethylbutyrate on insulin sensitivity [14]. They
suggested that resveratrol-hydroxymethylbutyrate
combined with metformin might act synergistically on AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent
pathways, leading to increased insulin sensitivity, which might reduce the therapeutic doses of
metformin necessary in the treatment of diabetes.
However, this combination might also increase
the antioxidant efficacy of metformin [12]. Thus,
450
H. Nasri
according to the renoprotective efficacy of garlic
extract in our study and hypoglycemic effect of this
medicinal plants in the study conducted by Sher et
al., it is possible that the combination of metformin
and garlic may have additive renoptective efficacy
beyond better control of diabetes. In this regard, to
better understand the renoprotective properties of
garlic, especially in combination with metformin,
more experimental rat models or clinical studies
are suggested.
References
[1] Sher A, Fakhar-Ul-Mahmood M, Shah SN, Bukhsh S, Murtaza G: Effect of garlic extract on blood glucose level
and lipid profile in normal and alloxan diabetic rabbits. Adv Clin Exp Med 2012, 21(6), 705–711.
[2] Tolouian R, Hernandez GT: Prediction of Diabetic Nephropathy: The need for a sweet biomarker. J Nephropathol
2013, 2(1), 4–5.
[3] Rahimi Z: ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy. J Nephropathol 2012, 1(3),
143–151.
[4] Rouhi H, Ganji F: Effect of N-acetyl cysteine on serum Lipoprotein (a) and proteinuria in type 2 diabetic patients.
J Nephropathol2013, 1(3), 61–66.
[5] Baradaran A: Lipoprotein(a), type 2 diabetes and nephropathy; the mystery continues. J Nephropathol 2012,1(3),
126–129.
[6] Nasri H, Nematbakhsh M, Rafieian-Kopaei M: Ethanolic Garlic Extract Attenuates Gentamicin-induced
Nephrotoxicity in Wistar Rats. Iran J Kidney Dis 2013, in press.
[7] Rafieian-Kopaei M, BaradaranA, Merrikhi A, Nematbakhsh M, Madihi Y, Nasri H: Efficacy of Co-administration
of Garlic Extract and Metformin for Prevention of Gentamicin-Renal Toxicity in Wistar Rats: A Biochemical Study.
Inter J Prev Med 2013, 4(3), 258–264.
[8] Tavafi M: Diabetic nephropathy and antioxidants. J Nephropathol 2013, 2(1), 20–27.
[9] Khajehdehi P.T: Reemerging of a neglected Asian traditional remedy. J Nephropathol 2012, 1(1), 17–22.
[10] Sahni N, Gupta KL: Dietary antioxidents and oxidative stress in predialysis chronic kidney patients. J Nephropathol
2012, 1(3), 134–142.
[11] Hundal RS, Krssak M, Dufour S, Laurent D, Lebon V, Chandramouli V, et al.: Mechanism by which metformin
reduces glucose production in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 2000, 49(12), 2063–2069.
[12] Morales AI, Detaille D, Prieto M, Puente A, Briones E, Arevalo M, et al.: Metformin prevents experimental
gentamicin-induced nephropathy by a mitochondria-dependent pathway. Kidney Int 2010, 77(10), 861–869.
[13] Amini FG, Rafieian-Kopaei M, Nematbakhsh M, Baradaran A, Nasri H: Ameliorative effects of metformin on
renal histologic and biochemical alterations of gentamicin-induced renal toxicity in Wistar rats. J Res Med Sci
2012, 17, 621–625.
[14] Bruckbauer A, Zemel MB: Synergistic effects of metformin, resveratrol, and hydroxymethylbutyrate on insulin
sensitivity. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 2013, 6, 93–102.
Address for correspondence:
Hamid Nasri
Department of Nephrology, Division of Nephropathology
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
Isfahan
Iran
E-mail: [email protected]
Conflict of interest: None declared