Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2012 May (Suppl-1), Vol-6(3):437-440 437 437 DOI: JCDR/2012/3541:1938 Efficacy of the Total Extract of Urtica Dioica on the glucose utilization by the Human Muscle Cells Key Words: Urtica dioica, Insulin sensitivity, Hypoglycaemic activity ABSTRACT Objective: Plants are being used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the traditional system of medicine. Urtica Dioica (UD) has a variety of uses in traditional medicine. There are lots of reports about the hypoglycaemic effects of UD, but only few reports about the hypoglycaemic mechanisms of UD can be found in literature. The present study was designed to determine the possible mechanisms of the hypoglycaemic effects of UD on the glucose utilization by the human muscle cells in an in vitro study. Research Design and Methods: Human muscle cells were grown in multiple flasks which contained the culture medium. An alcoholic extract of UD at concentrations of 50, 100 and 200μ/ml alone and in combination with insulin were added to the muscle cells in the flasks. The glucose levels in the flasks were measured before and 60,120 and 180 minutes after applying the extract or the extract plus insulin. Results: The mean glucose level in the muscle cell cultures with UD alone and with UD plus insulin at the above mentioned concentrations and time intervals did not change significantly. (p>0.05) Conclusions: The results of the present study demonstrated that the alcoholic extract of UD was unable to enhance the glucose utilization directly or by increasing the insulin sensitivity in the muscle cells and so, for the interpretation of the hypoglycaemic effects of UD (if any), other possibilities must be studied. MAJID MOBASERI, AKBAR ALIASGARZADEH, AMIR BAHRAMI, NOSRATOLLAH ZARGAMI, ALI TABRIZI INTRODUCTION Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disorder in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat due to an absolute or relative deficiency of insulin secretion or a varying degree of insulin resistance [1, 2]. The increasing epidemy of DM has changed this problem from a medical entity to a social challenge. The number of adults with DM in the world will rise from 285 million in 2010 to 439 million in the year 2030 [3]. The patients with DM experience significant morbidity and mortality from microvascular and macrovascular complications. The microvascular disease leads to retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy (nephropathy leads to uraemia) [4, 5]. The macrovascular disease leads to cardiovascular disease, mainly by accelerating atherosclerosis. These disorders include: coronary artery disease, leading to myocardial infarction (heart attack) or angina, stroke (mainly ischaemic type) and peripheral vascular disease, which contributes to intermittent claudication (exertion- related foot pain) as well as diabetic foot [6]. The use of herbal remedies has been on the rise worldwide [7-9]. Plants are being used in the treatment of DM in the traditional system of medicine [10]. Urtica Dioica (UD) (stinging nettle) and Urtica urens (dwarf nettle) are members of the Urticaceae family, which are native to Eurasia, and they are considered to be therapeutically interchangeable [11]. There are some studies that showed the hypoglycaemic effects of UD [12, 13]. The mechanism or mechanisms behind the hypoglycaemic action of UD are not clear. Most of the diabetic patients have varying degrees of insulin resistance, which is defined as a complex nutritional–metabolic state which is characterized by the reduced sensitivity of the target tissues (liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue) to the physi- Original Article Endocrinology Section ological effects of insulin [14]. Some antidiabetic drugs target this resistance. We hypothesized that the extracts of UD could increase the insulin sensitivity in human muscle cells, so that it induced hypoglycaemic effects in diabetic patients. The present study was designed to examine this hypothesis. METHODS Preparation of Extract UD is available in the traditional markets in Tabriz-Iran. Dried DU was purchased from the market and it was identified by a pharmacognosist. By using an electric mill, the plants were crushed into a fine powder. The obtained powder was extracted repeatedly by using 70 percent methanol as a solvent (for 5 days) by the soak method (Maceration). In the second stage, this hydro- alcoholic extract were dried completely in a rotary evaporator at a temperature of 45ºC and at a pressure of below 100 mm Hg. The dried extract was stored in a refrigerator at temperatures below zero degrees of centigrade for further use. Cell Culture The HT1080 (code NCBI: C437) cell type was obtained from National Cell bank of Iran (NCBI) which was affiliated to the Pasteur Institute of Iran. The cells were prepared in DMEM [Dulbecco/Vogt modified Eagle’s (Harry Eagle) minimal essential medium] and RPMI (Roswell Park Memorial Institute) 1640 medium and they were cultured in 5% C02 and 10% foetal calf albumin with penicillin G 80 mg and 50 mg streptomycin under sterile conditions. After the required number of specific cells was acquired and the confluence state was reached, the insulin and glucose levels were measured as the base line values.