Phloridzin reduces blood glucose levels and alters hepatic gene expression in normal BALB/c mice

We previously showed that a diet containing phloridzin suppressed the blood glucose levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice most likely by inhibiting glucose absorption from the small intestine. In this study, we showed that 0.5% and 1% phloridzin diets significantly reduce the blood glucose levels in healthy normal BALB/c mice after 7 days of feeding. To understand the effect of the high continuing intake of dietary phloridzin on normal mouse livers, we analyzed the hepatic gene expressions in mice fed diets containing 0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, or 1% phloridzin for 14 days using DNA microarrays. Six-week-old male mice were divided into 4 groups of 6 mice each, housed in groups of 3 per cage, and fed a standard purified AIN-93G diet containing 0% (Con), 0.1% (Phlorizin0.1), 0.5% (Phlorizin0.5), or 1% phloridzin (purity > 97%) (Phlorizin1.0) for 2 weeks.