BackgroundDiabetes is a serious metabolic disorder affecting the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and fat. A number of studies have shown that diabetes mellitus is associated with oxidative stress, leading to an increased production of reactive oxygen species. Ficus deltoidea is traditionally used in Malaysia for regulating blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The use of F. deltoidea as an alternative medicinal herb is increasingly gaining popularity with the sale of F. deltoidea tea bags and capsules in the local market. The present study was undertaken to investigate the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of the fruits from different varieties of F. deltoidea, employing in vitro methods.MethodTwo fruit varieties of F. deltoidea (var. angustifolia (SF) and var. kunstleri (BF)) were extracted separately using double-distilled water. The resulting aqueous extracts were partitioned using ethyl acetate to obtain the ethyl acetate and water fractions. The crude aqueous extracts and the corresponding fractions were evaluated for their phenolic, flavonoid, sugar and protein contents. Protein profiling of the extracts and fractions were also carried out by means of SDS-PAGE and SELDI-TOF MS. Antidiabetic activities were assessed based on the ability of the samples to inhibit yeast and mammalian α-glucosidase as well as α-amylase. Antioxidant capacities were examined by measuring the ability of the samples to reduce ferric ions and to scavenge DPPH, superoxide anion, ABTS and nitric oxide radicals.ResultsThe crude extracts and fractions of SF and BF inhibited both yeast and rat intestinal α-glucosidases in a dose-dependent manner, but did not inhibit porcine pancreatic α-amylase. The water fraction of BF showed the highest percentage of α-glucosidase inhibition while having the highest amount of protein (73.33 ± 4.99 μg/mg fraction). All the extracts and fractions exhibited antioxidant activities, with SF crude extract showing the highest antioxidant activity and phenolic content (121.62 ± 4.86 mg/g extract). Fractionation of the crude extracts resulted in loss of antioxidant activities. There was no positive correlation between phenolic and flavonoid content with α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. However, phenolic content correlated well with antioxidant activities of the crude extracts but not with the fractions.ConclusionsThe antioxidant activities of the fruits of F. deltoidea might be asserted by the phenolic content but other polar plant components were possibly involved in the antidiabetic properties. The study of these compounds having both antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities may provide a new approach in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

BackgroundProteins that are associated with hypertension may be identified by comparing the 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) profiles of the sera of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with those generated from normotensive Spraque-Dawley rats (SDR).ResultsFive proteins of high abundance were found to be significantly altered when the 2-DE serum profiles of the SHR were compared to those that were similarly generated from the SDR. Analysis by mass spectrometry and database search identified the proteins as retinol binding protein 4, complement C3, albumin (19.9 kDa fragment), alpha1 macroglobulin and alpha1 antiproteinase, which are all known to be associated with hypertension. The altered expression of the two latter proteins was found to be abrogated when similar analysis was performed on sera of the SHR that were treated with captopril.ConclusionOur data suggests that serum alpha1 macroglobulin and alpha1 antiproteinase are potentially useful complementary biomolecular indicators for monitoring of hypertension.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder and has been associated with not only high blood sugar levels, but also lipid abnormalities and oxidative stress. In the present study, the antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic potentials of the fruit from Ficus deltoidea var. kunstleri were evaluated in vivo in normal and streptozocin-induced diabetic rats. The crude aqueous extract and its water fraction were administered orally to normal and diabetic rats for 21 consecutive days. Apart from that, glibenclamide was used as a reference drug at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight. At the end of the treatment, serum and liver homogenate were analyzed for antioxidant capacities using ABTS, FRAP and TBARS assays. The level of lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes as well as serum lipid profile were also evaluated. Diabetic rats showed a marked decrease in the ABTS free radical scavenging activities, ferric reducing properties and activities of antioxidant enzymes. Hyperglycaemia was also shown to be associated with raised serum triglycerides and LDL levels, and a reduced level of HDL. Administration of F. deltoidea significantly reversed these changes back to near normal level with the crude aqueous extract exhibiting greater effect. The results confirmed that the fruit of F. deltoidea var. kunstleri is beneficial in reducing oxidative stress and improving lipid profile, thus minimizing the complications of diabetes mellitus. Additionally, proteomics analysis of the serum proteome demonstrated some changes in the lipid-related proteins which further support the hypolipidemic effect of F. deltoidea.