Hypoglycemic effects of stilbene glycoside from Polygonum multiflorum in type 2 diabetes and its mechanism of action

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the U. S. The number of people with diabetes has been increasing dramatically, and is expected to reach 366 million worldwide by 2030. Type 2 diabetes, affecting more than 90% of diabetes patients, is strongly associated with oxidative stress and is characterized by insulin resistance. There has been a strong need for safe and effective hypoglycemic agents due to side effects from anti-diabetic drugs. Polygonum multiflorum (PM) has long been used as a tonic in traditional Chinese medicine. The medicinal effects of PM are believed to be mediated through its strong antioxidant activity. Our objective is to test if PM extract has anti-diabetic effect, and to identify its active compounds. We gave 0.075% PM extract to KK CgAy/J type 2 diabetic mice in drinking water and after 7 weeks, PM-treated mice had significantly lower glucose level than control mice (p