1. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine; 2. Institute of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, University of South China, Hengyang Hunan 421001, China

Objective To investigate the effect of arecoline on insulin secretion and the mRNA expression of pancreasduodenum homeobox1 (PDX1) in β cells in rats with Type 2 diabetes meilitus.Methods Wistar rats were fed with highfructose diet for 12 weeks to induce Type 2 diabetes meilitus. Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: a control group; a diabetic group; and a low (1 mg/kg), medium (5 mg/kg), or high (10 mg/kg) dose of arecoline groups. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyeride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and fasting serum insulin (FSI) were measured after treatment with arecoline for 4 weeks. Pancreatic tissue was fixed in 10% formaldehyde, sliced and HE dyed. RTPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of PDXl and insulin．Results(1) Insulin secretion and mRNA levels of PDX1 were significantly decreased in rats with Type 2 diabetes meilitus compared with the control group. (2) Compared with the diabetic group, insulin secretion and mRNA levels of PDX1 were significantly increased in the medium and high dose of arecoline groups. Conclusion Arecoline can prevent the dysfunction of β cells of pancreas induced by high fructose via upregulation of PDX1.