Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-27gpq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T16:26:32.442Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Asparagus adscendens (Shweta musali) stimulates insulin secretion, insulin action and inhibits starch digestion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2007

Jacqueline N. Mathews
Affiliation:
School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, Northern IrelandUK
Peter R. Flatt
Affiliation:
School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, Northern IrelandUK
Yasser H. Abdel-Wahab*
Affiliation:
School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, Northern IrelandUK
*
*Corresponding author: fax +44 (0)28 7032 4956, email y.abdel-wahab@ulster.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic disease characterised by glucose overproduction and under-utilisation. As the incidence of diabetes expands rapidly across the globe there is an urgent need to expand the range of effective treatments. Higher plants such as Asparagus adscendens provide therapeutic opportunities and a rich source of potential antidiabetic agents. In the present study an aqueous extract of Asparagus adscendens was shown to induce a significant non-toxic 19–248% increase in glucose-dependent insulinotropic actions (P<0·001) in the clonal pancreatic β cell line, BRIN-BD11. In addition, the extract produced an 81% (P<0·0001) increase in glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Asparagus adscendens also produced a 21% (P<0·001) decrease in starch digestion in vitro. The present study has revealed the presence of insulinotropic, insulin-enhancing activity and inhibitory effects on starch digestion in Asparagus adscendens. The former actions are dependent on the active principle(s) in the plant being absorbed intact. Future work assessing its use as a dietary adjunct or as a source of active components may provide new opportunities for the treatment of diabetes

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2006

References

Amos, AF, McCarty, DJ & Zimmet, P 1997 The rising global burden of diabetes and its complications: estimates and projections to the year 2010. Diabet Med 14, S1S85.Google Scholar
Astin, JA 1998 Why patients use alternative medicine. Results of a national study. JAMA 279, 15481553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bailey, CJ & Day, C 1989 Traditional treatments for diabetes. Diabetes Care 12, 553564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brevoort, P 1998 The booming US botanical market – new overview. Herbalgram 44, 3346.Google Scholar
Clark, CJ 1998 The burden of chronic hyperglycaemia. Diabetes Care, C32C34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Day, CHypoglycaemic compounds from plants. In New Anti-Diabetic Drugs, pp. 267278 [CJ Bailey and PR Flatt, editors] London: Smith-Gordon. 1990Google Scholar
De Fronzo, RA, Banadonna, RC & Ferrannini, E 1992 Pathogenesis of NIDDM: a balanced overview. Diabetes Care 15, 318368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dunn, CJ & Peters, DH 1995 Metformin: a review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic use in NIDDM. Drugs 49, 721749.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flatt, PR & Bailey, CJ 1981 Abnormal plasma glucose and insulin responses in heterozygous lean (ob/+) mice. Diabetologia 20, 573577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foyt, HL, Ghazzi, MN, Hanley, RM, Saltiel, AR & Whitcomb, RWThiazolidinediones. In Diabetes Mellitus. A Fundamental and Clinical Text, pp. 788797 [D Le Roith, SI Taylor and JM Olefsky, editors]. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. 2000Google Scholar
Frost, SC & Lane, MD 1985 Evidence for the involvement of vicinal sulfhydryl groups in insulin-activated hexose transport by 3T3-L1 adipocytes. J Biol Chem 260, 26462652.Google Scholar
Gray, AM & Flatt, PR 1997 Nature's own pharmacy: the diabetes perspective. Proc Nutr Soc 56, 507517.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hunt, SM, Chrzanowska, C, Barnett, CR, Brand, HN & Fawell, JK 1987 A comparison of in vitro cytotoxicity assays and their application to water samples. Altern Lab Anim 15, 2029.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawabata, J, Mizuhatak, , Sato, E, Nishioka, T, Aoyana, Y & Kasai, T 2003 6-Hydroxyflavonoids as alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from majoram Origanum majorana leaves. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 67, 445447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurihara, H, Fukami, H, Kusumoto, A, Toyoda, Y, Shibata, H, Matsui, Y, Asami, S & Tanaka, T 2003 Hypoglycaemic action of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal) Iljinskaja in normal and diabetic mice. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 67, 877880.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laws, A 2001 A new era in type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment?. Am J Med 111, 7172.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lilloja, S, Mott, DM, Spraul, M, Ferraro, R, Foley, JE & Ravussin, EInsulin resistance and insulin secretory dysfunction as precursor of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med 1993 329, 19881992.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClenaghan, NH, Barnett, CR, Ah-Sing, E, Abdel-Wahab, YHA, O'Harte, FPM, Yoon, TW, Swanston-Flatt, SK & Flatt, PR 1996 Characterisation of a novel glucose responsive insulin secreting cell line, BRIN BD11, produced by electrofusion. Diabetes 45, 11321140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MacLennan, AH, Wilson, DH & Taylor, AW 1996 Prevalence and cost of alternative medicine in Australia. Lancet 347, 569573.Google Scholar
Mandrup-Poulsen, T 41998 Effect of a high monounsaturated fat diet rich in avocado in NIDDM patients. Diabetes Care 4, 311315.Google Scholar
Miguel, JC, Abdel-Wahab, YHA, Mathias, PC & Flatt, PR 2003 Time-correlation between membrane depolarisation and intracellular calcium in insulin secreting BRIN-BD11 cells: studies using FLIPR. Cell Calcium 36, 4350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oubre, AY, Carlson, TJ, King, SR& Reavan, GM 1997 From plant to patient: an ethnobotanical approach to the identification of new drugs for the treatment of NIDDM. Diabetologia 40, 614617.Google Scholar
Rhinehart, BL, Robinson, KM, Payne, AJ, Wheatley, MEFisher, JL, Liu, PS & Cheung, W 1987 Castanospermine blocks the hyperglycaemic response to carbohydrates in vivo: a result of intestinal disaccharidase inhibition. Life Sci 41, 23252331.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shinwari, IM & Khan, AM 2000 Folk use of medicinal herbs of Margalla Hills National Park, Islamabad. J Ethnopharmacol 69, 4556.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swanston-Flatt, SK, Day, C, Flatt, PR & Bailey, CJEvaluation of the antihyperglycaemic properties of traditional plant treatments for diabetes. In Frontiers in Diabetes Research: Lessons from Animal Diabetes, [E, Shafrir]. London: Smith-Gordon and Company. 1991a Vol.3, pp.286293.Google Scholar
Swanston-Flatt, SK, Flatt, PR, Day, C & Bailey, CJ 1991b Traditional dietary adjuncts for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Proc Nutr Soc 50, 641651.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
UKPDS Perspectives in diabetes UKPDS Study 16 (1995) Overview of 6 years therapy of type II diabetes: a progressive disease. Diabetes 44, 12491258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weragoda, PB 1980 Some questions about the future of traditional medicine in developing countries. J Ethnopharmacol 2, 193194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yoshikuni, Y, 1998 Inhibition of intestinal a-glucosidase activity in postprandial hyperglycaemia by moraline and its n-alkyl derivatives. Agric Biol Chem 52, 121128.Google Scholar