Evaluation of the Potential Hypoglycemic and Beta-Cell Protective Constituents Isolated from Corni Fructus To Tackle Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2011-07, Vol.59 (14), p.7743-7751
• Main Authors: Lin, Mei-Hsiang, Liu, Hui-Kang, Huang, Wei-Jan, Huang, Chu-Chun, Wu, Tzu-Hua, Hsu, Fen-Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bioactive Constituents; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line; Cells, Cultured; chemical structure; Cornus - chemistry; Cornus officinalis; cytotoxicity; death; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - prevention & control; Disease Models, Animal; flavonoids; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression; glucose; Glucose - metabolism; glycemic effect; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - chemistry; Hypoglycemic Agents - isolation & purification; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; Insulin-Secreting Cells - drug effects; Insulin-Secreting Cells - metabolism; iridoid glycosides; messenger RNA; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; phenolic compounds; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - isolation & purification; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Rats; spectral analysis; triterpenoids
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf201189r

Corni fructus is the fruit of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. and has attracted much interest due to its traditional applications and active fraction that reportedly possesses antidiabetic effects. In this study, we isolated 12 compounds from Corni fructus including three flavonoids, two iridoid glycosides, three phenolic compounds, and two triterpenoids, together with cornuside (11) and 2-butoxybutanedioic acid (12). Chemical structures were identified by 1H, 13C NMR, DEPT, COSY, HSQC, and HMBC spectral analyses. Furthermore, the glucose uptake efficiency, messenger (m)RNA expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and prevention of cytokine-mediated cytotoxicity in the presence of test agents were evaluated. While CH and CB significantly increased glucose uptake from muscle, compounds 3 and 8, each at 50 μM, significantly suppressed PEPCK mRNA expression. Finally, compound 5, at 50 and 100 μM, effectively attenuated β-cell death. In conclusion, those compounds could contribute to the antihyperglycemic and β-cell-protective actions of Corni fructus against diabetes mellitus.