Jpn. J. Pharmacol. 78 (3), 395-398 (1998)


Possible Mechanism of Hypoglycemic Effect of 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid, a Constituent of Pandanus odorus Root

Penchom Peungvicha (1,2), Suwan S. Thirawarapan (1) and Hiroshi Watanabe (2,*)

(1) Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
(2) Department of Pharmacology, Research Institute for Wakan-Yaku, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
(*) To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract: We studied the hypoglycemic effect of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, a constituent of the root of Pandanus odorus Ridl. (Pandanaceae, Thai name: Toei-hom), in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Oral administration of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid caused a decrease in plasma glucose levels dose-dependently in the diabetic rat. The constituent did not affect serum insulin level and liver glycogen content in the diabetic model, but increased glucose consumption in normal and diabetic rat diaphragms. These results suggest that 4-hydroxybenzoic acid produces a hypoglycemic effect mediated by an increase in the peripheral glucose consumption.

Keywords: Pandanus odorus, Hypoglycemic effect, 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid


Copyright© The Japanese Pharmacological Society 1998

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