Evaluation of insulin-mimetic components of buckwheat: Relationship to glucose utilization in diabetes

荞麦含有谷类作物中没有的生物活性成分。我们的初步实验表明，口服荞麦提取物可在90-120分钟内使糖尿病大鼠的血糖浓度降低20%。这些数据得到了在印度和中国进行的研究的支持，这些研究报告称，食用荞麦作为面粉或饼干对糖尿病患者有降糖作用；然而，有效成分尚未确定。细胞培养研究表明，荞麦提取物模仿胰岛素的一些效果。因此，我们建议定期补充富含生物活性成分的荞麦可以增强胰岛素敏感性并改善葡萄糖利用。我们的总体目标是i)通过细胞培养研究和1型和2型糖尿病的动物模型确定荞麦提取物中具有降血糖潜力和胰岛素样活性的生物活性成分，ii)在无糖尿病或患有糖尿病的人类急性试验中确定荞麦生物活性化合物的降血糖潜力。这将使我们能够探索利用来自荞麦的生物活性化合物来管理人类糖尿病的可行性，这是研究的长期目标。这项研究对支持组织、荞麦产业和加拿大人都很重要。凯德研究有限公司有一个植物育种计划，开发荞麦的增值成分。鉴定荞麦中能够预防和/或治疗糖尿病的活性化合物对于开发新的育种品系和登记具有更高水平有益化合物的新品种至关重要。加拿大荞麦种植者将获得相当大的市场优势，相关产业将获得开发功能食品和营养保健品的新机遇；两者都是加拿大特殊作物协会的目标。加拿大人还将受益于确定对血糖控制管理有用的膳食化合物，以预防和治疗糖尿病，通过增强干预能力而无需药物。

Buckwheat contains bioactive component(s) not found in cereal crops. Our preliminary experiments have demonstrated that oral administration of a buckwheat extract lowers blood glucose concentrations in diabetic rats by 20% within 90-120 minutes. These data are supported by studies done in India and China which reported that consumption of buckwheat as flour or biscuits had a hypoglycemic effect in patients with diabetes; however, the active components were not identified. Cell culture studies have shown the buckwheat extract mimics some of the effects of insulin. We therefore propose that regular dietary supplementation with buckwheat enriched in bioactive components will enhance insulin sensitivity and improve glucose utilization. Our overall objectives are i) to identify the bioactive component(s) in the buckwheat extract that have glucose-lowering potential and insulin-like activity using both cell culture studies and animal models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and ii) to determine the glucose-lowering potential of the buckwheat bioactive compound(s) during an acute test in humans without or with diabetes. This will allow us to explore the feasibility of employing bioactive compounds from buckwheat for managing diabetes in humans, a long-term goal of the research. This research is important to the supporting organizations, the buckwheat industry, and to Canadians. Kade Research Ltd has a plant breeding program for development of value-added components in buckwheat. Identification of active compound(s) in buckwheat capable of diabetes prevention and/or treatment is critical for development of new breeding lines and registration of new cultivars with enhanced levels of beneficial compounds. Canadian buckwheat growers would gain considerable market advantage and related industries would have new opportunities to develop functional food and nutraceutical products; both are goals of the Canadian Special Crops Association. Canadians would also benefit from identification of dietary compounds useful in the management of blood glucose control for prevention and treatment of diabetes, through an enhanced ability to intervene without Pharmaceuticals.