Antidiabetic effects of a dietary supplement "Pancreas Tonic".

Pancreas Tonic, a dietary supplement, contains plant products shown to possess hypoglycemic activity. This study investigated the effect of Pancreas Tonic on serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and pancreatic islet cell regeneration of rats. Results showed that body weights of three groups of rats were not significantly different from each other before the study period, and after the 12 week study, weights increased with nonsignificant difference among the groups. The diabetic group had significantly higher serum glucose levels compared with controls, and the diet-treated group had significantly lower serum glucose levels compared with the diabetic group. The diabetic group's glycosylated hemoglobin was significantly higher compared with the control group, and the diet-treated group had significantly lower glycosylated hemoglobin levels compared with the diabetic and control groups. Histological analysis of the pancreas showed a generalized reduction in size and number of islets in the diabetic group and regeneration of islet cells in the diet-treated group compared with the diabetic group. The diabetic group had a significant reduction in the number of cells compared with controls. The diet-treated group contained a significantly increased number of cells compared with the diabetic group. These data suggest that Pancreas Tonic induced an antidiabetic effect through pancreatic islet cell regeneration in experimental rats.