Abstract:This study explored the hypoglycemic effect of Jinnan compound on type 2 diabetes in a rat model. Ten SD rats were randomly selected as the normal control group, and the remaining 40 rats were fed a high-fat diet combined with a low-dose streptozotocin and established type 2 diabetes model rats. The type 2 diabetes model rats were randomly divided into three groups: model group, positive group (metformin, 200 mg/kg) and Jinnan compound treatment group (Jinnan compound, 500 mg/kg). After 7 weeks of intervention, the levels of blood sugar and lipids, and the expression levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and Bax protein in islet β cells were determined, while the expression of PPAR-α and PPAR-γ genes were detected by RT-PCR. Electron scanning microscopy was used to examine the changes in aortic walls of abdominal rats. The results showed that the levels of fasting blood sugar (18.45 mmol/L), postprandial glucose (21.39 mmol/L), glycosylated hemoglobin (8.97%), insulin (26.78 mIU/L), triglyceride (3.35 mmol/L), total cholesterol (2.53 mmol/L), low-density lipoprotein (0.46 mmol/L) and relative expression of Bax (0.2) in the Jinnan compound treatment group significantly decreased, whilst the relative expression levels of GABA (0.36), PPAR-α (0.79) and PPAR-γ (4.42) in the Jinnan compound treatment group increased markedly (p<0.05), compared with those of the model group (p <0.01). The extent of injury in the Jinnan compound treatment group was lower than that of the model group. It is speculated that the mechanism underlying the hypoglycemic action of Jinnan compound might be related to the increase of islet GABA expression, activation of PI3K/PKB signal pathway, inhibition of islet β cell apoptosis, up-regulation of the expression of PPAR-α and PPAR-γ genes, acceleration of β-oxidation of liver fatty acids, and decrease of fatty acid content.