Abstract:

Objective: To study the effect of oral ashitaba chalcone and swimming exercise on lipid metabolism of rats with
type II diabetes. Methods: Adult male streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were subjected to swimming exercise and/or oral
administration of ashitaba chalcone. Changes in the serum contents of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density
lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and free fatty acid (FFA), and the relative mRNA expression levels of
visfatin, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-1 (GPAT-1) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1) in liver tissue
were measured. Results: Compared with the diabetic model group, the serum levels of TG, TC, LDL and FFA contents
were significantly lower in the intervention groups, while the serum level of HDL was significantly increased. The mRNA
expression levels of visfatin and GPAT-1 in liver were remarkably decreased in the treated diabetic groups; however, the
relative mRNA expression of CPT-1 in liver mRNA was significantly enhanced. Conclusion: Ashitaba chalcones improve
lipid metabolism in diabetic rats showing a synergistic effect with exercise intervention.

Key words: ashitaba chalcones, exercise, diabete, lipid metabolism