Effects of an Indonesian Medicinal Plant, Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb., on the Levels of Serum Glucose and Triglyceride, Fatty Acid Desaturation, and Bile Acid Excretion in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats

Abstract

To study the beneficial effects of traditional Indonesian foods on sugar and lipid metabolism, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were fed on purified diets containing 5% of either cellulose as a control or four kinds of Indonesian plants. One of them, Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb., improved the diabetic symptoms such as growth retardation, hyperphagia, polydipsia, elevation of glucose and triglyceride in the serum, and reduction of the ratio of arachidonate to linoleate in the liver phospholipids. C. xanthorrhiza specifically modified the amount and composition of fecal bile acids. Significance of these findings was discussed in the light of the improvement of several diabetic symptoms.