Portulaca oleracea (purslane) aqueous extract reduced the adverse metabolic outcomes and favored liraglutide activities in streptozotocin-induced cardiometabolic disorders of male Wistar rats

Cardiometabolic diseases including Diabetes mellitus accounts >400 million deaths globally. Portulaca oleracea (Purslane) noted for its rich antioxidants, is a perennial herbaceous plant widely cultivated across countries. This study aimed to determine the ameliorative effect of ethanolic extract of Portulaca oleracea (EPO) on cardiometabolic diseases of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male Wistar rats. Twenty-five male Wistar rats weighing between 120 and 150 g were randomly distributed into five groups and treated respectively as; Control (CTR): normal chow + vehicle (normal saline; orally), EPO; 400 mg/kg orally, STZ; 60 mg/kg intraperitoneally + vehicle, (STZ; 60 mg/kg + EPO; 400 mg/kg orally), STZ+ EPO+ Liraglutide (LG); 0.2 mg/kg subcutaneously. After four weeks, animals were anesthetized by 1 % chloroform inhalation for 5 min (5.0 ppm) and blood was collected by cardiac puncture. Plasma, cardiac and adipose tissue homogenate were analyzed, and data expressed as mean ± SEM; p < 0.05 were accepted as significant. The diabetic rats showed decreased body weight, reduced blood glucose and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), adipose mass, insulin (p < 0.05). Portulaca oleracea resulted in reduced plasma fasting blood glucose (FBG), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- α) and increased pancreatic beta cell functions (HOMA-B) compared to the diabetic rats (p < 0.05). Also, plasma AMPK, insulin and glutathione (GSH) increased in the purslane, and liraglutide treated (p < 0.05), which is a known glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist. In conclusion, purslane possess GLP-1R agonist activities and improved glucometabolic activities and this presents a great advantage in the management of cardiovascular risks associated with diabetes.