Effects of oral administration of benzylamine on glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism in rats

Abstract

Repeated administration of benzylamine plus vanadate have been reported to exhibit anti-hyperglycemic effects in different models of diabetic rats. Likewise oral treatment with Moringa oleifera extracts which contain the alkaloïd moringine, identical to benzylamine, has also been shown to prevent hyperglycemia in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. With these observations we tested whether prolonged oral administration of benzylamine could interact with glucose and/or lipid metabolism. Seven week old male Wistar rats were treated for seven weeks with benzylamine 2.9 g/l in drinking water and were submitted to glucose tolerance tests. A slight decrease in water consumption was observed in benzylamine-treated animals while there was no change in body and adipose tissue weights at the end of treatment. Blood glucose and plasma insulin, triacylglycerol or cholesterol levels were not modified. However, benzylamine treatment resulted in a decrease in plasma free fatty acids in both fed and fasted conditions. Benzylamine treatment improved glucose tolerance as shown by the reduction of hyperglycemic response to intra-peritoneal glucose load. Oral benzylamine treatment did not alter the response of adipocytes to insulin nor to insulin-like actions of benzylamine plus vanadate, via in vitro activation of glucose transport or inhibition of lipolysis. This work demonstrates for the first time that oral administration of benzylamine alone influences glucose and lipid metabolism. However, these results obtained in normoglycemic rats require to be confirmed in diabetic models.

Influence of acute and chronic administration of benzylamine on glucose tolerance in diabetic and obese mice fed on very high-fat diet

“…Our results perfectly confirm the findings of a preliminary experiment performed with Wistar rats showing that oral administration of benzylamine (1870 μmol/kg/day) did not decrease of food and water consumption (5). Moreover, they reproduced our observation of the benefits of orally given benzylamine on glucose handling to diabetic monse model by VHFD feeding.…”

“…However, benzylamine has been reported to exert diverse insulin-like effects by itself, without need for vanadate, such as stimulation of glucose transport and inhibition of lipolysis in human fat cells (13), adipogenesis in murine preadipocytes (17), and improvement of glucose tolerance in conscious rabbits and in obese mice (12). Moreover, we have recently reported that chronic oral administration of benzylamine to normoglycemic non obese rats was able to reduce their hyperglycemic response to a glucose load (5). The aim of the study was therefore to test whether oral benzylamine administration was able to improve glucose tolerance in a diabetic model.…”

“…Since sustained hydrogen peroxide generation by SSAO was the primary effect expected from benzylamine administration, it was also verified whether complications of oxidative stress such as lipid peroxidation, protein glycation, adipose tissue inflammation, or even alteration in the expression of nitric oxide synthases or amine oxidases occurred in benzylamine-receiving VHFD-fed mice. Another suspected adverse effect of giving benzylamine in drinking water, already reported in our preliminary study on rats, consisted in a small but consistent reduction of water intake, probably due to the fact that high concentrations of benzylamine have a somewhat disgusting smell (5). Experiments were therefore conducted with two benzylamine dosages, focusing attention to water consumption.…”

Inhibitory effects of 1α, 25dihydroxyvitamin D3 and Ajuga iva extract on oxidative stress, toxicity and hypo-fertility in diabetic rat testes

“…Chronic elevation of blood glucose, mostly often with no symptoms present to alert the individual to the presence of diabetes, will eventually lead to tissue damage and consequently serious disease in many organ systems such as the kidneys, liver and vascular system (6,7,9,11). Also hyperglycemia lead to the dysfunction of the reproductive system in men and rats (2,19).…”

The Medicinal Qualities of Moringa Oleifera

“…30,31 Moringa oleifera significantly decreased the incidence of hyperglycemia in 2 animal studies. 30,31 In a study of fed and fasting Wistar rats, Bour et al 30 found that benzylamine, an active ingredient in Moringa oleifera, significantly improved glucose tolerance and decreased free fatty acids. 30 In another study of Wistar rats, Ndong et al 31 found that Moringa oleifera improved glucose tolerance and decreased glucose uptake in response to slowed gastric emptying.…”