Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) cause damage to pancreatic β-cells and trigger oxidative stress and
inflammation, which promotes the development and progression of diabetes and its complications. Therefore, it is important to inhibit the formation of AGEs as part of the treatment of diabetes.
Allicin is a natural
antimicrobial agent with abundant pharmacological activities, and recent studies have reported its
therapeutic effects in diabetes; however, the mechanism of these
therapeutic effects is still unclear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to further investigate the association between
allicin treatment of diabetes and AGEs. First, we established a
streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model and treated the rats with
allicin for six weeks. We measured
glycolipid metabolism, AGE levels, receptor of
advanced glycation end products (RAGE) levels, oxidative stress, and other related indicators. The results showed that
allicin improved
blood glucose and
body weight, reduced
lipid accumulation, and inhibited AGE formation in rats. Treatment with
allicin also inhibited RAGEs and thereby prevented AGE activity, which, in turn, alleviated oxidative stress and promoted insulin secretion. To further verify the effect of
allicin on AGEs, we also performed in vitro nonenzymatic glycation simulation experiments. These results showed that
allicin inhibited the production of AGEs by suppressing the production of AGEs intermediates. Thus, our research suggests that
allicin may alleviate diabetes by inhibiting the formation of AGEs and reducing RAGE levels to relieve oxidative stress and promote insulin secretion.