Antioxidant Activity and Hypoglycemic Effect of Ferulic Acid in STZ-induced Diabetic Mice and KK-A^y Mice

Antioxidant activity and biological properties of ferulic acid are well recognized. This study was designed to estimate the potential utility of ferulic acid administered orally at low dosage for improvement of hyperglycemia in diabetes. With this aim we have evaluated the hypoglycemic effect of ferulic acid in two type diabetic animal models: (1) streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, a model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM); (2) KK-A^y mice, a model of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). In addition, we measured the production of TEARS in liver, kidney and brown adipose tissues of diabetic mice at the end of ferulic acid feeding experiment. Ferulic acid at 0.01% and 0.1% of basal diet showed to suppress significantly blood glucose levels in STZ-induced diabetic mice. In KK-A^y mice 0.05% ferulic acid suppressed effectively blood glucose levels. In addition, ferulic acid inhibited the lipid peroxidation in liver, kidney and brown adipose tissue of diabetic mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that dietary ferulic acid may be useful in alleviating oxidative stress and attenuating the hyperglycemic response associated with diabetes.