Pumpkin Extract Helps Damaged Pancreatic Cells in Rats

Scientists at East China Normal University recently completed a study on diabetes-induced lab rats to see what effect pumpkin extract would have on blood glucose, insulin levels and other symptoms of diabetes. The species of pumpkin that was used for the study was cucurbita ficifolia, also known as a fig-leaf gourd. It is already commonly used in Asia to treat diabetes and control hyperglycemia.

The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, published the study this month. Typically, in studies involving research in diabetes, lab rats are given the disease by being administered streptozotocin (STZ), a potent antibiotic that also can kill pancreatic islet cells. When the rats develop type 1 diabetes, they are used for studies such as this one. This fact is relevant to this particular study because when the rats were fed the pumpkin extract, not only did it lower blood glucose levels, but it appeared to also regenerate some of the the pancreatic beta cells that had been damaged by the streptozotocin.

The scientists state,

The present study thus confirms a hypoglycaemic effect of C. ficifolia fruit extract and suggests that oral feeding of C. ficifolia fruit extract may have a role in the renewal of cells in STZ diabetic rats or, alternatively, may permit the recovery of partially destroyed cells. Our results provide some documentation to define the role and mode of action of C. ficifolia fruit extract in its potential and promising use in treating diabetes

Research has not been done with human trials as yet, so it is uncertain if the pumpkin extract would work the same way for people with type 1 diabetes. The species of pumpkin that was used was not the typical American pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) but rather a fig-leaved gourd (Cucurbita ficifolia) that was cultivated in ancient times in Peru. It is also widespread in Asian countries today and is used in many traditional medicinal compounds.

Photo courtesy of Image Source Pink/Getty Images