Anti-diabetic properties of non-polar Toona sinensis Roem extract prepared by supercritical-CO2 fluid

Toona sinensis Roem (T. sinensis) leaves have been used as a nutritious vegetable and been suggested for medical applications; however, the reported bioactive compounds of T. sinensis leaves are, so far, from high to mid-high polar extracts. Our aims in this study were to reveal the non-polar constituents of the T. sinensis leave extract that were prepared by a method of using a supercritical-CO2 fluid and to investigate the anti-diabetic potential of this extract. Through a GC/MS analysis, we revealed 24 major components of the non-polar T. sinensis leave extract, the most abundant of which was phytol. The non-polar T. sinensis leave extract showed to prevent the progression of diabetes and hepatosteatosis, the rise of triglycerol levels and the decrease of adiponectin levels in the type 2 diabetic mice. Our results suggest that the non-polar extract of T. sinensis leaves prepared using the supercritical-CO2 fluid may contain effective constituents to prevent type 2 diabetes.