Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the biggest public health issues worldwide and closely related to development of other
chronic diseases such as
cardiovascular diseases,
cancer and
neurodegenerative diseases. Considerable percentage of T2DM patients undergo have suffered from
binge eating disorder which exacerbates
insulin resistance and metabolic challenges. Longan (Dimocarpus longan L.) and its constituents are reported for their various health benefits. However, it is still unknown whether longan fruit supplementation can ameliorate
glucose homeostasis and
binge eating disorder found in T2DM. The current study aimed to investigate whether longan fruit extract (LE) supplementation can improve diabetic
hyperglycemia through modulation of feeding center located in hypothalamus of db/db T2DM mice. As a result, LE supplementation ameliorated fasting
blood glucose levels and reduced excessive epididymal fat accumulation. In addition, LE administration improved
glucose tolerance and
insulin sensitivity in db/db mice. Especially, LE supplemented mice showed less food consumption which was in line with increase of
pro-opiomelanocortin (
POMC) neuronal activities and decrease of agouti-related
peptide (AgRP) neuronal activities. Furthermore, LE supplementation reduced hypothalamic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress which was stimulated in db/db mice. As ER stress is a crucial factor involving in appetite control and
glucose homeostasis, the effect of LE supplementation on circulating
glucose levels and feeding behavior might be mediated by suppression of hypothalamic ER stress. Collectively, these findings suggest that LE could be a potential nutraceutical for improvement of T2DM as well as patients with satiety issues.