Effect of a new phytocomposition based on polyphenolic extract from cranberry leaves and amino acids on the state of the pancreas in metabolic syndrome

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the effect of a phytocomposition based on a polyphenol extract from large-fruited cranberry leaves and amino acids (L-arginine, taurine, glycine) on the state of the pancreas and liver in experimental metabolic syndrome in rats.

Material and methods. Metabolic syndrome was reproduced using a high-sucrose diet, which was provided by replacing drinking water with a 30 % sucrose solution in drinkers in a free-access mode for 8 weeks. A phytocomposition based on a polyphenol extract from large-fruited cranberry leaves and amino acids at a dose of 100 mg/kg and comparison drugs phytocollection "Arfazetin" and tablets "Metformin" were administered daily during the reproduction of pathology for 8 weeks. The ability of the phytocomposition to improve glucose tolerance was evaluated in an oral glucose tolerance test. Histologically, the state of the pancreas was assessed with staining sections with hematoxylin and eosin, aldehyde fuchsin according to Gomora, and morphometric measurements of pancreatic islets were carried out. The liver sections were subjected to the McManus PAS reaction to detect glycogen; to verify neutral fats, the liver sections were stained with Sudan IV.

Results. Preventive administration of a phytocomposition based on a polyphenol extract from large-fruited cranberry leaves and amino acids at a dose of 100 mg/kg for 8 weeks had significantly improved glucose tolerance, a positive effect on the morphological state of the insular apparatus of rats: in the overwhelming majority of islets, cells with normal density were observed, which were uniformly distributed over the entire area of the islet. Also, no signs of hypertrophy or dystrophy of β-cells were detected. Under the influence of the studied phytocomposition, liver hepatocytes had normal glycogen saturation and a minimum content of neutral fats in the cytoplasm. In terms of the severity of the protective effect on the insular apparatus of the pancreas of rats, the phytocomposition exceeded the "Arfazetin" collection and was not inferior to "Metformin" tablets, and in terms of the degree of restoration of impaired metabolic changes in the liver, it surpassed both comparison drugs.

Conclusion. Two-month maintenance of rats on a diet high in sucrose was characterised by impaired glucose tolerance, pathomorphological changes in the insular apparatus of the pancreas, impaired glycogen-forming function of the liver and development of steatohepatosis. Phytocomposition based on polyphenolic extract of cranberry leaves and amino acids at therapeutic and prophylactic administration on the background of a high-sugar diet significantly improved glucose tolerance, prevented dystrophic and necrobiotic changes of β-cells, depletion of glycogen stores and fat accumulation in the liver of rats. The phytocomposition based on the polyphenolic extract from large-fruited cranberry leaves and amino acids was superior to the reference preparation “Arfazetin” and practically not inferior to “Metformin” tablets in its ability to limit morphological changes in the pancreas tissue and exceeded both comparison preparations in the degree of restoration of disturbed metabolic changes in the liver. The results indicate the prospect of further experimental studies on the pharmacological properties of phytocomposition based on the polyphenolic extract of cranberry leaves and amino acids in order to create an effective phytomedicine for the correction of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus manifestations