Bioactive Components from Flowers of Sambucus nigra L. Increase Glucose Uptake in Primary Porcine Myotube Cultures and Reduce Fat Accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2013-11, Vol.61 (46), p.11033-11040
• Main Authors: Bhattacharya, Sumangala, Christensen, Kathrine B, Olsen, Louise C. B, Christensen, Lars P, Grevsen, Kai, Færgeman, Nils J, Kristiansen, Karsten, Young, Jette F, Oksbjerg, Niels
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; bioactive properties; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Transport - drug effects; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - drug effects; Caenorhabditis elegans - metabolism; caffeic acid; Cells, Cultured; chromatography; Disease Models, Animal; Fats - metabolism; Female; ferulic acid; flowers; Flowers - chemistry; functional foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; glucose; Glucose - metabolism; Humans; insulin resistance; kaempferol; lipid metabolism; metabolites; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - metabolism; naringenin; noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; obesity; Obesity - drug therapy; Obesity - metabolism; p-coumaric acid; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Sambucus nigra; Sambucus nigra - chemistry; skeletal muscle; Swine
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf402838a

Obesity and insulin resistance in skeletal muscles are major features of type 2 diabetes. In the present study, we examined the potential of Sambucus nigra flower (elderflowers) extracts to stimulate glucose uptake (GU) in primary porcine myotubes and reduce fat accumulation (FAc) in Caenorhabditis elegans. Bioassay guided chromatographic fractionations of extracts and fractions resulted in the identification of naringenin and 5-O- caffeoylquinic acid exhibiting a significant increase in GU. In addition, phenolic compounds related to those found in elderflowers were also tested, and among these, kaempferol, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and caffeic acid increased GU significantly. FAc was significantly reduced in C. elegans, when treated with elderflower extracts, their fractions and the metabolites naringenin, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-5″-acetylglycoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside, and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside and the related phenolic compounds kaempferol and ferulic acid. The study indicates that elderflower extracts contain bioactive compounds capable of modulating glucose and lipid metabolism, suitable for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.