digitonin and Body-Weight

This study examined whether high-sucrose intake effects on lipid profile and oral glucose tolerance may be inhibited by a single administration of digitonin, a saponin from the seeds of Digitalis purpurea Male Wistar 24 rats were initially divided into two groups (n=12): (C) was given standard chow and water; (S) received standard chow and 30% sucrose in its drinking water. After 30 days of treatments, C rats were divided into two groups (n=6): (CC) given an intra-gastric dose 0.5 mL saline; (CD) given a single intra-gastric dose of 15 mg/kg digitonin. S rats were also divided into two groups (n=6): (SC) given intra-gastric saline and (SD) given digitonin. Rats were sacrificed after the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 2 h after the digitonin administration. S rats had higher total energy intake and final body weight than C. SC rats had fasting hyperglycaemia and impaired OGTT. Digitonin in SD group improved the glucose tolerance. Triacylglycerol (TG), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL-C) and free fatty acid (FFA) serum concentrations were increased in SD rats from CC. Digitonin in SD rats decreased FFA and led TG and VLDL-C concentrations at the levels observed in the CC group. Despite the enhanced cholesterol in CD group from CC, the high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) was increased in these animals. HDL-C/TG ratio was higher in CD and SD than in CC and SC, respectively. No significant differences were observed in lipid hydroperoxide(LH) between the groups. VLDL-C/LH ratio and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity were increased in SC group and were decreased in SD rats from the SC. In conclusion digitonin enhanced glucose tolerance and had beneficial effects on serum lipids by improve antioxidant activity.

Topics: Animals; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, VLDL; Diet; Digitonin; Dyslipidemias; Eating; Energy Metabolism; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; gamma-Glutamyltransferase; Glucose Intolerance; Glucose Tolerance Test; Hyperglycemia; Lipid Peroxidation; Lipids; Male; Organ Size; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sucrose; Triglycerides

"Animal-Plant Warfare" is one of the hypotheses for the evolution of drug-metabolizing P450s. To address the validity of this hypothesis, we examined the induction of xenobiotic-metabolizing P450s by 12 plant toxins in rats, using hepatic activity for testosterone metabolism as the index. The compounds tested were aconitine, morphine, tubocurarine, physostigmine, pilocarpine, muscarine, cocaine, atropine, amygdalin, digitonin, nicotine and solanine. Drinking water containing a test compound was given to rats for 4 days, and the hepatic activity of testosterone metabolism was determined together with monitoring body weight gain and liver weight as the indices of toxicity. The results showed that while cocaine and nicotine have a minor ability to increase testosterone 16 beta-hydroxylase activity, a marker activity for the CYP2B1 and 2, all other compounds did not have any such effect. No correlation was observed between a change in 16 beta-hydroxylase and toxicity caused by toxins. Therefore, these results did not support the idea that the inducibility of the CYP2B subfamily in animals is acquired through "Animal-Plant Warfare". Several compounds examined here increased or decreased hepatic activities of testosterone 2 alpha-, 6 beta-, 7 alpha- and 16 alpha-hydroxylation and 17-oxidation, indicating a possible effect on the CYP2A, 2C and 3A subfamily. Of these effects, a moderate correlation (r < 0.49) was observed in the changes in the activities of 2 alpha-/16 alpha-hydroxylation and 17-oxidation vs. that in toxicity. It is therefore suggested that inhibition or suppression of the expression of CYP2C11 is one of the mechanisms in the toxicity of plant toxins for rats, although it comes from an examination using limited numbers of compounds.

Topics: Aconitine; Amygdalin; Animals; Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases; Body Weight; Cocaine; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Cytochrome P450 Family 2; Digitonin; Enzyme Induction; Male; Microsomes, Liver; Nicotine; Organ Size; Plants; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Solanine; Steroid 16-alpha-Hydroxylase; Steroid Hydroxylases; Testosterone; Toxins, Biological

Topics: Animals; Body Weight; Chlorpromazine; Digitonin; Enzyme Induction; Glucuronosyltransferase; Hexosyltransferases; Kidney; Liver; Lung; Male; Methylcholanthrene; Microsomes, Liver; Organ Size; Phenobarbital; Quinolines; Rats; Serum Albumin, Bovine; Spleen

Topics: Animals; Anisoles; Body Weight; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Cytochrome Reductases; Digitonin; Glucuronosyltransferase; Hexosyltransferases; Male; Microsomes, Liver; Mixed Function Oxygenases; Organ Size; Oxidoreductases; Phenobarbital; Phospholipids; Proteins; Rats; Solubility; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Spectrophotometry; Time Factors; Trypsin

Topics: Animals; Anticholesteremic Agents; Body Weight; Carbon Isotopes; Chickens; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, Dietary; Digitonin; Lipids; Liver; Magnoliopsida; Male; Saponins; Sterols