• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2002

Alpha-lipoic acid is a known hypoglycemic agent that may be useful in the treatment of diabetes. The objective of this study was to investigate the fate of glucose in isolated muscles incubated with lipoic acid by determining its direct effects on specific metabolic and signaling pathways. Soleus muscles from healthy rats were incubated with lipoic acid in the absence or presence of insulin. Glucose transport, glycogen synthesis, glucose oxidation and lipid synthesis were determined and affects on major pathways associated with insulin signaling were evaluated. Glucose transport was not significantly altered by the addition of lipoic acid to the incubation medium. However, lipoic acid decreased glycogen synthesis in comparison to controls. Glucose oxidation was moderately increased while de-novo lipid synthesis from glucose was inhibited. Wortmannin repressed insulin stimulation of glucose incorporation into glycogen, an effect that was augmented by the combined treatment of wortmannin and lipoic acid. Basal and insulin-stimulated serine phosphorylation of Akt was not changed by the addition of lipoic acid to the incubation medium. These data show that in this in vitro model, lipoic acid did not significantly affect glucose uptake but dramatically modified pathways of glucose metabolism within muscle tissue.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 1998

In this study, rat hepatocytes known to have active glucose metabolism were obtained to investigate the hypoglycemic action of fat soluble fraction of red ginseng by using the liver perfusion technique and incubated in two different media-one containing insulin and glucagon (control group), and the other containing glucagon only The activities of main regulating enzymes, such as glucokinase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenate, and glucose 6-phosphatase, related to metabolic pathways of glucose in these two kinds of hepatocytes were compared between these two groups and the effects of addition of fat soluble fraction ($10^1$~$10^4$%) from red ginseng to these two groups on these enzymes were also detected. The results were as follows. The specific activity of enzymes such as glucokinase, flucorse 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase related to glucose-consuming pathways of insulin-deficient group was much less than control one. However, their decreased activity was recovered after the addition of fat-soluble fraction at all range of concentrations. The specific activity of these enzymes after the addition of ginseng components to the control group was also increased. On the other hand, the specific activity of glucose 6-phosphatase related to glucose-producing pathway of insulin-deficient group was much higher than control one, but their increased activity was decreased obviously after the addition of fat soluble fraction at all range of concentrations. The same results were observed after the addition of fat-soluble fraction to the control group. These results suggest that the red ginseng saponin components might be effective on diabetic hyperglycemia by regulating the activity of enzymes related to glucose metabolism directly and/or indirectly. The effects of fat-soluble fraction ($10^2$%) and ginsenosides (mixture, $Rb_1$ and $Rg_1$, $10^4$%) on hypoglycemic action were compared. As a result, they showed considerable effect on hyperglycemia, but the best eff ect on the activities of glucokinase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase was appeared by ginsenoside $Rb_1$ and that of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and glucose 6-phosphatase was by ginsenoside mixture.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2018

Tumors are dynamic metabolic systems which highly augmented metabolic fluxes and nutrient needs to support cellular proliferation and physiological function. For many years, a central hallmark of tumor metabolism has emphasized a uniformly elevated aerobic glycolysis as a critical feature of tumorigenecity. This led to extensive efforts of targeting glycolysis in human cancers. However, clinical attempts to target glycolysis and glucose metabolism have proven to be challenging. Recent advancements revealing a high degree of metabolic heterogeneity and plasticity embedded among various human cancers may paint a new picture of metabolic targeting for cancer therapies with a renewed interest in glucose metabolism. In this review, we will discuss diverse oncogenic and molecular alterations that drive distinct and heterogeneous glucose metabolism in cancers. We will also discuss a new perspective on how aberrantly altered glycolysis in response to oncogenic signaling is further influenced and remodeled by dynamic metabolic interaction with surrounding tumor-associated stromal cells.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.359-364
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• 1990

The present study was performed to evaluate the hypoglycemic mechanism of brazilin. Brazilin significantly reduced plasma glucose level in streptozotocin induced diabetie rats and this effect seems to be mediated by extrapancratic effects rather than by pacreatic effect because no significant changes were observed in plasma insulin levels. The rates of glycogen synthesis, glycolysis and glucose oxidation in soleus muscle were markedly increased following brazilin treatment to diabetic animals. Glucose transport seemed to be increased by the treatment of brazilin. Brazilin did not affect insulin binding to muscles from streptozotiocin induced diabetic rats. These results suggest that potentiation of periopheral glucose utilization may be one of the major causes of hypoglucemic action of brazilin.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.107-114
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• 2016

Maintenance of fasting blood glucose levels is important for glucose homeostasis. Disruption of feedback mechanisms are a major reason for elevations of glucose level in blood, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus that is mainly caused by malfunction of pancreatic beta-cell and insulin. The fasting blood glucose level has been known to be influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Mitochondria have many functions for cell survival and death: glucose metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, ATP generation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, calcium handling, and apoptosis regulation. In addition to these functions, mitochondria change their morphology dynamically in response to multiple signals resulting in fusion and fission. In this study, we aimed to examine association between fasting blood glucose levels and variants of the genes that are reported to have functions in mitochondrial dynamics, fusion and fission, using a cohort study. A total 416 SNPs from 36 mitochondrial dynamics genes were selected to analyze the quantitative association with fasting glucose level. Among the 416 SNPs, 4 SNPs of PRKACB, 13 SNPs of PPP3CA, 6 SNPs of PARK2, and 3 SNPs of GDAP1 were significantly associated. In this study, we were able to confirm an association of mitochondrial dynamics genes with glucose levels. To our knowledge our study is the first to identify specific SNPs related to fasting blood glucose level.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.14-20
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• 2000

This study was designed to investigate the effect of dietary Platycodon grandiflorum on plasma glucose and lipid metabolism in $KK-A^y$ mice and STZ-induced diabetic rats. Both plasma triglyceride and plasma cholesterol levels in STZ-induced diabetic rats were significantly decreased by dietary Platycodon grandiflorum feeding for 4 weeks compared to those of control rats, but there were no marked differences in $KK-A^y$ mice. However, for plasma glucose values, Platycodon grandiflorum feeding resulted in a significant decrease in both STZ-induced diabetic rats and $KK-A^y$ mice. Also, dietary Platycodon grandiflorum slightly decreased the postprandial glucose level at 30 and 60 mins during oral glucose tolerance test in $KK-A^y$ mice. Although there was no statistical significance, the fasting plasma insulin levels of Platycodon grandiflorum dieted $KK-A^y$ mice tended to decrease when compared to that of control mice. Therefore, the present results suggested that dietary Platycodon grandiflorum may have a beneficial effect on preventing hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1333-1339
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• 2010

The present study was conducted to determine plasma acetate, glucose and protein metabolism using dilution of isotopes [[1-$^{13}C$]Na acetate, [U-$^{13}C$]glucose and [1-$^{13}C$]leucine (Leu)] in sheep fed rice straw (Oriza japonica L.). Four sheep were assigned to either rice straw (RS-diet) or mixed hay (MH-diet) with a crossover design. Nitrogen (N) intake and N digestibility were lower (p = 0.002 and p = 0.02, respectively) for RS-diet than MH-diet, but N retention did not differ (p>0.10) between the diets. Concentrations of rumen acetate tended to be lower (p = 0.07), and propionate was higher (p = 0.02) for RS-diet than MH-diet. Concentrations of plasma lactate, non-esterified fatty acids, Leu and ${\alpha}$-ketoisocaproic acid did not differ (p>0.10) between the diets, but plasma glucose and urea concentrations were lower (p = 0.01 and p = 0.003, respectively) for RS-diet than MH-diet. Turnover rate of plasma acetate did not differ (p = 0.39) between the diets, and plasma glucose and Leu turnover rates were numerically lower (p = 0.15 and p = 0.14, respectively) for RS-diet than MH-diet. Whole body protein synthesis and degradation did not differ (p>0.10) between the diets. Thus it can be concluded that the intermediary metabolism of acetate, glucose and protein on rice straw is comparable to mixed hay in sheep.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.9-21
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• 2005

To study the biochemical and physiological role of the plastidic glucose transporter (pGlcT) in carbohydrate metabolism, we characterized transgenic plants with mutations in the pGlcT gene (GT), gt-1 and gt-2, as well double mutants of GT and the maltose transporter (MEX1) and GT and the triose phosphate/phosphate translocator (TPT), GT and the cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase gene (cFBP), and MEX1 and TPT, gt-1/mex2, gt-1/tpt-2, gt-1/cfbp-1, mex1-1/tpt-2, respectively. Compared to the wild type, all mutants except the gt-1/cfbp-1 mutant lines displayed higher starch accumulation and higher levels of maltose. Starch accumulation is due to a decrease in starch turnover, leading to an imbalance between the rates of synthesis and degradation. Sucrose levels of gt alleles were higher than those in wild-type plants during the light period, suggesting possible nightly supplementation via the maltose transport pathway to maintain proper carbohydrate partitioning in the plant leaves. The gt plants displayed less growth retardation than mex1-1 mutant and gt-1/mex2 double mutant displayed accumulativesevere growth retardation as compared to individual gt-1 and mex1-1 mutants, implying that the maltose transporter-mediated pathway is a major route for carbohydrate partitioning at night. The gt-1/tpt-2, mex1-1/tpt-2 and gt-1/cfbp-1 double mutants had retarded growth and low chlorophyll content to differing degrees, indicating that photosynthetic capacity had diminished. Interestingly, the gt-1/tpt-2 line displayed a glucose-insensitive phenotype and higher germination rates than wild type, suggesting its involvement not only in carbon partitioning, but also in the sugar signaling network of the pGlcT and TPT.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.11
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• pp.713-718
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• 2011

In this study, the effects of sitagliptin analogue (SITA) or pioglitazone (PIO) treatment on glucose homeostasis and ${\beta}$-cell dynamics in animal models of type 2 diabetes-Akita and db/db mice were evaluated. After 4-6 weeks of treatment, both SITA and PIO were shown to lower non-fasting glucose levels and reduced glycemic excursion in the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. In addition, both drugs preserved normal islet structure and the proportion of ${\beta}$-cells in the islets. Compared to the controls, SITA treatment induced a higher ${\beta}$-cell proliferation rate in Akita mice and a lower rate of apoptosis in db/db mice, whereas PIO treatment induced a lower rate of apoptosis in db/db mice and reduced proliferation rates in Akita mice. In conclusion, both SITA and PIO appear to exert some beneficial effects on the islet structure in addition to glycemic control via different mechanisms that involve ${\beta}$-cell dynamics in Akita and db/db mice.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.132-136
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• 2006

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt) belongs to bHLH-PAS protein family. Here, we study the role of Arnt in both cell growth and glucose metabolism. Our results demonstrated that the absence of Arnt does affect ATP homeostasis but not cell growth in monolayer-cultured mouse hepatoma cells. ATP level of Arnt defective BpRc1 hepatoma cells is less than that of wild type hepatoma cells in both normoxia and hypoxia. BpRc1 cells also fail to increase the expression of glycolytic enzymes in response to hypoxia. Our results suggest that Arnt is essential for glucose metabolism and ATP production but not for cell growth.