Hypoglycemic effect of low‐sugar juice derived from Hovenia dulcis on type 1 diabetes mellitus rats

Abstract BACKGROUND Fruit juice is usually rich in monosaccharides and disaccharides. A reverse osmosis separation machine was used to remove monosaccharides and disaccharides from Hovenia dulcis fruit juice, leaving behind most of the bioactive substances in a low‐sugar fruit juice ( LSFJ ), so as to provide a more effective treatment for diabetic patients. METHOD This study was carried out with type 1 diabetes mellitus model induced with high dose of streptozotocin (60 mg kg −1 ), and oral administration of LSFJ for 4 weeks. RESULTS LSFJ treatment led to significant gain in body weight and increased serum insulin level, insulin‐like growth factor ‐1 level, blood urea nitrogen level, creatinine level, and hepatic glycogen level. Meanwhile, fasting blood glucose, fructosamine level, and glucose tolerance were also observably enhanced. Additional, LSFJ treatment significantly improved lipid metabolism, islet quality, and islet oxidative stress. The messenger RNA levels of glucose metabolism genes in the pancreas of diabetic rats decreased in the diabetes model group, whereas messenger RNA expression of these genes was significantly increased with LSFJ treatment. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that LSFJ can improve symptoms associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus . The research also suggests new strategies for diabetes prevention and treatment. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry