Inhibitory effects of Terminalia chebula extract on glycation and endothelial cell adhesion

Terminalia chebula Retz. has been used in India for a long time to treat many diseases, and its extract was reported to have antidiabetic activity in vivo. In this study, T. chebula methanolic extract (TCE) containing 2.7% chebulic acid was evaluated for its preventive effects against the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and endothelial cell dysfuction. When the effects of TCE on AGE formation and on protein crossing-linking by glycation with D-threose and lens crystallines were examined, TCE showed inhibitory activity in a dose-dependent manner, and the concentration of 1000g/mL presented an activity similar to that of 5mM aminoguanidine as a positive control. Upon investigating the protective activity of TCE against AGE-induced vascular endothelium dysfunction, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) incubated with 100g/mL of AGEs had significantly enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, whereas the treatment of T.chebula reduced AGE-induced ROS generation. The incubation of HUVEC with 100g/mL of AGEs caused a considerable increase in THP-1 monocytic cell adhesion, but this adhesion was reduced by the treatment of TCE. These results suggest that TCE is a potential agent for alleviating diabetic complications.