Date of Award
8-2017
Culminating Project Type
Starred Paper
Degree Name
Special Studies: M.A.
Department
Biology
College
College of Science and Engineering
First Advisor
Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje
Second Advisor
Heiko Schoenfuss
Third Advisor
Cassidy Dobson
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Type one diabetes, Garcinia kola, glycemia
Abstract
Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an insulin-dependent autoimmune disease characterized by the T-cell mediated autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. This destruction results in hyperglycemia (elevated blood glucose levels), which causes metabolic imbalances, pathological changes in tissue, vascular complications and multi-organ damage. Pharmaceuticals used to treat T1D are expensive and not readily available in underdeveloped countries. It is therefore an imperative to study natural compounds with a potential hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory properties, such as Garcinia kola seeds. The effect of aqueous Garcinia kola seed extract (GKE) on incidence and severity of T1D was studied in a multiple-low-dose streptozotocin (MLDSTZ)-induced mouse model of T1D. It is hypothesized that GKE treatment would decrease glycemia levels and reduce incidence of autoimmune mouse T1D. GKE was prepared by aqueous extraction, and C56Bl/6J male mice were exposed to 100 mg/kg/day of GKE via drinking water for a period of five weeks (from 7- to 12-weeks of age). At 8-weeks of age T1D was chemically induced with five consecutive injections of 40 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Body weights and blood glucose levels were measured before STZ administration and bi-weekly from day 8 until day 29 post first STZ injection. The results showed that GKE treatment did not reduce body weights and glycemia levels; even a trend of elevated body weights and hyperglycemia levels was observed in GKE-treated mice. In addition, GKE exposure significantly increased T1D incidence in MLDSTZ-treated mice. In conclusion, this study, as the first examination of the anti-diabetogenic potential of aqueous GKE, did not confirm its potential in reducing hyperglycemia and preventing T1D.
Recommended Citation
Ebinger, Eryn, "Garcinia Kola and Type One Diabetes: A Study on the Effects of Aqueous Garcinia Kola Extract on the Incidence and Severity of Type One Diabetes in a C57Bl/6J Mouse Model" (2017). Culminating Projects in Biology. 27.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/biol_etds/27
Comments/Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Cetkovic for taking me on as a graduate student, Shana Rogan, my co-graduate student working on this project and all of the undergraduate students who worked to help make this research project possible.