Concurrent treatment of in vitro cell lines with uthuli lwezichwe™, an African traditional medicine used in the management of diabetes mellitus in KwaZulu-Natal, with conventional treatments and their effects on glucose uptake and insulin secretion.

Abstract

Background: By the year 2025, prevalence of diabetes mellitus is estimated to reach 300 million globally; with type 2 diabetes mellitus comprising more than 90% of these cases. Due to the side effects which are sometimes adverse and gradual loss of efficacy with time, presented by conventional regimens; a number of diabetic patients have been reported to be using both traditional medicines and conventional regimens concurrently. Experimental and clinical experiments have yielded positive results on studies performed on conventional treatments in combination with traditional medicines and medicinal plant extracts. Most these studies have been performed using a single medical plant, whilst African traditional medicine (ATM) products constitute of a variety of medical plants. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the concurrent treatment of in vitro cell lines with Uthuli Lwezichwe™, an African traditional medicine used in the management of diabetes mellitus in KwaZulu-Natal, in combination with conventional treatments and their effects on glucose uptake and insulin secretion. Methods: Cell viability was used to establish the IC50 doses of Uthuli Lwezichwe™ for HepG2 liver, C2C12 muscle and RIN-5 pancreatic beta cell lines. The IC50 doses were used in combination with known effective doses of metformin, insulin and tolbutamide to treat liver, skeletal muscle and beta cells, respectively. Glucose uptake was monitored at 0, 6, 12 and 24 h time intervals. Changes in glycogen and glutathione (GSH) levels in treated liver cells were evaluated using a glycogen assay kit (MAK0160) and GSH Glo glutathione kits, respectively. Insulin secretion in treated pancreatic cells was assessed using an ultra-sensitive rat insulin ELISA kit. Results: In comparison to the untreated control, treatment with Uthuli LwezichweTM in combination with conventional drugs significantly increased (p<0.05) increased insulin secretion in comparison to all treatment groups. Conclusion: Interaction of anti-diabetic agents studied, resulted in ameliorated glucose metabolism, both via glucose uptake and insulin secretion. This could be beneficial both in modulating diabetes mellitus and its comorbidities.