The root of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC has been reported to have a wide range of health benefits in oriental food. This study examined the hypoglycemic
effects of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC aqueous-ethanol extract (PGE) in streptozotocin (STZ) -induced diabetic ICR mice (STZ diabetic mice) for the
first time. The effects of PGE on blood glucose, plasma insulin levels and body weight were investigated. A significant decrease
in blood glucose levels was observed after single administration of PGE. Furthermore, Glibenclamide and PGE significantly
suppressed the rise in blood glucose after 30 min in the acute glucose tolerance test. Treatment with glibenclamide and PGE
resulted in a reduction in blood glucose levels from the 2nd week, and this reduction was maintained until the 4th week of
treatment. The body weight changed slightly in glibenclamide and PGE treated mice in comparison with the STZ control group.
Plasma insulin levels were increased with glibenclamide treatment in STZ diabetic mice, whereas such effect was not observed
with PGE. These results indicated that PGE could induce hypoglycemic effects without stimulating insulin secretion. 相似文献
Low winter temperatures severely stress newly arriving insect species. Adaptive evolutionary changes in cold tolerance can facilitate their establishment in new environments. Ambrosia artemisiifolia, a noxious invasive plant, occurs throughout China. Ophraella communa, a biological control agent of A. artemisiifolia, mainly occurs in southern China. However, in 2012, it established populations in Beijing (39.98°N, 115.97°E) following introduction from Laibin (23.62°N, 109.37°E), implying cold adaptation. The mechanisms underlying its rapid evolution of cold tolerance remain unknown. We investigated the levels of cryoprotectants and energy reserves in adult O. communa from two latitudes. In high-latitude insects, we found high trehalose, proline, glycerol, total sugar, and lipid levels; five potential genes (Tret1a, Tret1b, Tret1-2, P5CS, and GST), responsible for regulating cold tolerance and involved in trehalose transport, proline biosynthesis, and glutathione S-transferase activation, were highly expressed. These hybridisation changes could facilitate cold temperature adaptation. We demonstrate the genetic basis underlying rapid adaptation of cold tolerance in O. communa, explaining its extension to higher latitudes. Thus, specialist herbivores can follow host plants by adapting to new temperature environments via rapid genetic evolution.