Preparation and antidiabetic activity of polysaccharide from Portulaca oleracea L.

Extraction parameters of polysaccharide from Portulaca oleracea L. (POP) and antidiabetic activity of POP on alloxan induced diabetic mice were studied. Better extraction parameters of POP were obtained by the single factor test, as follows: extraction temperature 95°C, extraction time 5 h, and ratio of solvent to raw material 40. POP treatment (200, 400 mg/ kg body weight) for 28 days resulted in a significant decrease in the concentration of fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in diabetes mellitus mice. Furthermore, POP significantly increased the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) and serum insulin level in diabetes mellitus mice. Our data demonstrated POP at the dose of 400 mg/kg body weight (bw) exhibited optimal effect. The above results suggest that polysaccharide extracted from P. oleracea L. can control blood glucose and modulate the metabolism of glucose and blood lipid in diabetes mellitus mice.