Natural polyacetylene compounds have been found mainly in seven botanical families and remain underexplored and understudied, despite its inherent chemical and biological reactivity, due to the presence of conjugated triple bonds. Some polyacetylene glucosides have been found to stimulate glucose uptake in C5BL/ks-db/db obese diabetic mice, and since polyacetylene glucosides previously found in Vernonia scorpioides showed little to none cytotoxicity, in this study the antihyperglycemic potential of a new V. scorpioides polyacetylene glucoside has been accessed in order to shine a new light on the biological activity of this unique scaffold.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Triterpenes and their derivatives influence on carbohydrate metabolism. In vivo and in vitro treatment investigated the effect of the natural triterpene fern-9(11)-ene-2α,3β-diol (1), isolated from Croton heterodoxus, and a derivative triterpene (2) on glucose homeostasis.
Main Methods: The antidiabetic effect of the crude extract from C.
To characterize the role and the mechanism of action of (2E)-N'-(1'-naphthyl)-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzohydrazide (BZD) on incretin secretion, glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and α-glucosidase activity on intestine, targets for glucose homeostasis. It was assayed on glucose tolerance test (GTT) to analyze GLP-1 secretion and the activity of DPP-4 enzyme in vitro. In skeletal muscle, mechanism of action on glucose uptake was carried out by in vitro experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: The medicinal plant Pterodon pubescens Benth has been traditionally used for a long time to treat rheumatic diseases due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. The present study aims to evaluate the antinociceptive effect of ethanolic extract from P. pubescens fruits (EEPp) in a model of neuropathic pain in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFructose accumulates in tissue and body fluids of patients affected by hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), a disorder caused by the deficiency of aldolase B. We investigated the effect of acute fructose administration on the biochemical profile and on the activities of the Krebs cycle enzymes in the cerebral cortex of young rats. Rats received a subcutaneous injection of NaCl (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Med Chem
February 2016
Tubulin-interacting agents, like vinca alkaloid and taxanes, play a fundamental role in cancer chemotherapy, making cellular microtubules (MT), one of the few validated anticancer targets. Cancer resistance to classical MT inhibitors has motivated the development of novel molecules with increased efficacy and lower toxicity. Aiming at designing structurally-simple inhibitors of MT assembly, we synthesized a series of thirty-one 3,4,5-trimethoxy-hydrazones and twenty-five derivatives or analogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochim Biophys Acta
January 2015
Background: The effect of in vivo treatment with ursolic acid (UA) on glycemia in hyperglycemic rats and its mechanism of action on muscle were studied.
Methods: The UA effects on glycemia, glycogen, LDH, calcium and on insulin levels were evaluated after glucose tolerance curve. The β-cells were evaluated through the transmission electron microscopy.
Glibenclamide is widely used in the management of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, but numerous risks limit its use in therapy. In the search for novel structures that are safer and more efficient than glibenclamide, we obtained new chemical analogs based on bioisosterism, through the treatment of benzenesulfonamide derivatives with isothiocyanates and isocyanates, affording (thio)ureas with good yield. We also verified the hypoglycemic activity, through an in vivo approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effect of betulinic acid on glycemia and its mechanism of action compared with 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 in rat muscle were investigated. Betulinic acid improved glycemia, induced insulin secretion and increased the glycogen content and glucose uptake in muscle tissue. Additionally, the integrity of both PI3K and the cytoskeleton is necessary for the stimulatory action of betulinic acid in glucose uptake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRutin is a flavonol glycoside with multiple biological activities and it has been demonstrated that rutin modulates glucose homeostasis. In pancreatic β-cell, an increase in intracellular calcium concentration triggers exocytosis and thus insulin secretion. The aim of the study reported herein was to investigate the effect of rutin associated intracellular pathways on Ca(2+) uptake in isolated rat pancreatic islets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study the in vivo and in vitro antidiabetic effects of four acylhydrazone derivatives were investigated in rats. The secretagogue action, oral glucose tolerance, insulinogenic index and mechanism of action of these acylhydrazones in relation to calcium uptake in pancreatic islets were studied. Also, the insulinomimetic effect on glycemia in diabetic rats was verified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The present study investigates the level of Sterol-regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP-1c) and related proteins in obese mice (DIO) treated with SREBP-1c antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) to observe a reversal of steatosis.
Materials And Methods: Swiss mice were fed on chow containing 61 kJ% saturated fat for 8 weeks to develop obesity. After this period, one group of animals was used to assess the molecular effects of SREBP-1c antisense oligonucleotide treatment by immunoblot analysis in a dose-response curve (0; 1.
Obesity-induced endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) stress has been demonstrated to underlie the induction of obesity-induced JNK and NF-κB activation inflammatory responses, and generation of peripheral insulin resistance. On the other hand, exercise has been used as a crucial tool in obese and diabetic patients, and may reduce inflammatory pathway stimulation. However, the ability of exercise training to reverse endoplasmatic reticulum stress in adipose and hepatic tissue in obesity has not been investigated in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity and insulin resistance are rapidly expanding public health problems. These disturbances are related to many diseases, including heart pathology. Acting through the Akt/mTOR pathway, insulin has numerous and important physiological functions, such as the induction of growth and survival of many cell types and cardiac hypertrophy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF-4alpha) is atypically activated in the liver of diabetic rodents and contributes to hepatic glucose production. HNF-4alpha and Foxo1 can physically interact with each other and represent an important signal transduction pathway that regulates the synthesis of glucose in the liver. Foxo1 and HNF-4alpha interact with their own binding sites in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) promoters, and this binding is required for their effects on those promoters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExercise training has demonstrated cardioprotection effects. However, the exact mechanism behind this effect is not is clear. The present study evaluated the effects of 12 weeks of previous treadmill training on the levels of oxidative damage, antioxidant enzyme activity and injury in the myocardium of rats submitted to infarction induced by isoproterenol (ISO).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTRB3 (a mammalian homolog of Drosophila) is emerging as an important player in the regulation of insulin signaling. TRB3 can directly bind to Ser/Thr protein kinase Akt, the major downstream kinase of insulin signaling. Conversely, physical exercise has been linked to improved glucose homeostasis and enhanced insulin sensitivity; however, the molecular mechanisms by which exercise improves glucose homeostasis, particularly in the hepatic tissue, are only partially known.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsulin signalling in the hypothalamus plays a role in maintaining body weight. The forkhead transcription factor Foxo1 is an important mediator of insulin signalling in the hypothalamus. Foxo1 stimulates the transcription of the orexigenic neuropeptide Y and Agouti-related protein through the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt signalling pathway, but the role of hypothalamic Foxo1 in insulin resistance and obesity remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPGC-1alpha expression is a tissue-specific regulatory feature that is extremely relevant to diabetes. Several studies have shown that PGC-1alpha activity is atypically activated in the liver of diabetic rodents and contributes to hepatic glucose production. PGC-1alpha and Foxo1 can physically interact with one another and represent an important signal transduction pathway that governs the synthesis of glucose in the liver.
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