Effects of the fenugreek extracts on high-fat diet-fed and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic mice

Background: To study the antidiabetic effects and mechanisms of the fenugreek extracts in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 2 diabetic (T2DM) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods: We established C57BL/6J mice model of T2DM using HFD-fed and STZinduced method. Then, the mice were administered with two types of fenugreek extracts (E1, flavonoid and E2, stilbene glycoside) for 4 weeks and the effects on fasting blood glucose (FBG), weight, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and pathological indexes were investigated. Results: Administration of fenugreek extracts decreased the FBG level compared with that of the model group. Comparatively, the high-dose E2 decreased the FBG more significantly than the other treatments did. Both extracts showed an obvious antioxidant effect by increasing serum SOD and CAT activities and decreasing the MDA content. Furthermore, the high-dose E1 showed a significant difference (P < .01) compared with the model group in the three investigated indexes. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that both the flavonoid and stilbene glycoside extracts of fenugreek improved the hyperglycemia in the T2DM mice model. Moreover, the antidiabetic effects of both extracts might be due to their antioxidant activity in vivo.