Effect of germinated Glycine max seeds on glycemic control in STZ+NAD induced type 2 diabetic models: a preliminary study

Objective: Glycine max (soybean) is a legume (Fabaceae) native to East Asia. Glycine max seeds are a powerful stimulant of immune system, used to decrease menopause symptoms, estrogen, treat certain types of cancers including that of the breast, lungs, prostate. It is also used for treating diabetes, liver and kidney disorders. The study aimed to investigate the effect of germinated Glycine max seeds on glycemic control in Streptozotocin (STZ) plus Nicotinamide (NAD) induced type 2 diabetic rats. Methods: The effect of Glycine max seed extract at the dose of 100, 200, 400 mg/kg b.w, respectively, germinated at different time intervals was investigated in STZ+NAD induced diabetic rats. The study was conducted for 21 days to investigate the effect of extract on blood biochemical parameters indicative of hyperglycemia; fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) and lipid profile, i.e. total cholesterol (TC), low and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c and HDL-c) and triacylglycerol (triglycerides, TG) levels. Results: Aqueous extract (200 mg/kg b.w) of 12 h soaked and germinated Glycine max seeds produced significant reduction in FBG after 90 min (9.6%) and 3 h (15.6%) of administration. When the extract (200 mg/kg) was administered daily for three weeks to diabetic rats, significant fall in FBG (48.6%) and GHb (30.2%) was observed. Glucose tolerance was also found to be improved. Extract also showed significant hypolipidemic effect in diabetic rats as apparent from fall in TG, TC and LDL-c, and significant improvement on HDL-c. Conclusion: The results suggest that aqueous extract of 12 h germinated Glycine max seeds possess antihyperglycemic as well as hypolipidemic activity. [J Exp Integr Med 2012; 2(2.000): 155-160]