Fig. 1 – Food intake and water intake during the experimental period. (A) The amounts of food consumed in different
groups. (B) The amounts of water consumed in different groups.
Table
remarkably decreased the serum TC concentrations by 15.09%,
while middle and high doses of GABA-rich yogurt obviously
decreased the serum TG concentrations by 29.07 and 40.70%
respectively in comparison with the SIDM group (p < 0.05). GABArich
yogurt significantly (p < 0.05) increased the HDL-C
concentrations.There was no significant difference in the LDL-C
concentration between GABA-rich yogurt-treated groups and
the SIDM group (p > 0.05), indicating that the administration
of GABA-rich yogurt could enhance serum HDL-C and lower
serum TG in SIDM.
The levels of GSP, serum insulin and BUN in each group after
42 days are shown in Table 5. In GABA-rich yogurt group fed
with low and middle doses, the GSP and BUN were a little lower
than the SIDM group (p > 0.05), whereas serum insulin concentrations
were slightly higher (p > 0.05). However, the group
fed with high doses of GABA-rich yogurt significantly decreased
the GSP concentration by 10.86% (p < 0.05), and
remarkably increased the serum insulin concentrations by
35.00% (p < 0.05) respectively in comparison with the SIDMgroup. A significant decrease (19.93%) in the level of BUN was
observed in the SIDM + GABA-H group as compared to the SIDM
group (p < 0.05).
3.5. Effect of GABA-rich yogurt on organ coefficients
The values of organ coefficients in each group by feeding
for 42 days are shown in Table 6. There were significant
(p < 0.05) differences in the values of liver weight and kidney
weight between the SIDM group and the normal group.
Treatments with high doses of GABA-rich yogurt significantly
decreased liver weight by 16.52%, while those with middle
and high doses significantly reduced kidney weight by 19.21
and 21.72% (p < 0.05) respectively in comparison with the SIDM
group. No significant difference in the spleen weight and
thymus weight between three GABA-rich yogurt-treated
groups and the SIDM group was observed in this study
(p > 0.05).
3.6. Effect of GABA-rich yogurt on Langerhans islets cells
The H&E stained sections in each group are shown in Fig. 2.
There were significant differences in the pattern and number
of Langerhans islets in the five groups. In the normal group,
the Langerhans islet was round and big, with clear boundaries
and full central particles (Fig. 2A). However, in the SIDM
group, the islets presented atrophy inordinately, the boundaries
of islets were unclear and the number of central particles
was reduced (Fig. 2B). In GABA-rich yogurt-feeding groups, although
the area of islet was small, the shape of islets was
inerratic, and the number of central particles increased
(Fig. 2C–E) in comparison with the SIDM group, indicating that
GABA-rich yogurt could restore the pancreas islets impaired
by STZ, whereas the groups fed with the middle and high doses
of GABA-rich yogurt showed better effect than the low dose
group in the recovery of Langerhans islets impaired by STZ.