研究发现：腰果籽提取物可能对糖尿病人有益

食品伙伴网导读：来自加拿大蒙特利尔大学和来自喀麦隆雅温得大学的研究者们发现：腰果籽的提取物可以促进葡萄糖的吸收，这种物质可能具有抗糖尿病的功能。在利用大鼠小鼠肝细胞的体外实验中，研究者试用过腰果植株的其他部分---叶子、树皮、果实等---但只有加入了高剂量的腰果籽提取物（CSE）后才促进了葡萄糖的吸收。腰果树的相关产品历来被认为具有抗炎性能，被用作糖尿病患者中的高血糖患者来防治胰岛素耐受性。在分子营养学与食品调查杂志新出版的研究报道中，研究者针对这种提取物在细胞中对胰岛素的响应做了相关实验，研究者称，他们这只是初步的反应，有必要做进一步的实验来研究反应机制。

原文报道：

Cashew seed extract shows anti-diabetes potential

By Lorraine Heller, 26-Jul-2010

Lab tests have indicated that cashew seed extract could help boost glucose uptake, earmarking it as a compound with potential anti-diabetic properties.

The in vitro tests, conducted using mouse and rat liver cells, found that the stimulatory effect only occurred when high doses of cashew seed extract (CSE) were used. Other parts of the cashew plant – including leaves, barks and apples – were also tested, but were not found to have an effect on glucose uptake.

“Of all the extracts tested, only CSE showed significant stimulatory effect on glucose uptake. Extracts of other plant parts had no such effect, indicating that CSE likely contains active compounds, which can have potential antidiabetic properties,” wrote the researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, and the Université de Yaoundé, Cameroun.

Insulin response

Cashew tree products have traditionally been thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, to help counter high blood sugar and to prevent insulin resistance among diabetics. The new study, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, set out to examine the impact of these extracts on cells that respond to insulin.

Researchers prepared solutions of cashew seed extract to concentrations of 25, 50 and 100μg/mL. They also prepared a solution of 50μM anacardic acid (AA), which is the active component in cashew seed extract.

These solutions were administered to mouse and rat cells, and incubated for 18 hours, with or without insulin, after which the researchers measured glucose uptake.

Both cashew seed extract and anacardic acid were found to stimulate glucose uptake. In the case of CSE, the effect was only noted at the higher concentration of 100μg/mL.

“Glucose uptake was significantly elevated in cells incubated with high concentration of CSE (100 mg/mL) plus insulin as compared with either CSE or insulin alone and similar results were obtained with AA plus insulin. No such synergistic effect was noticed at lower concentration of CSE,” wrote the researchers.

Potential nutraceutical

They noted that their findings were preliminary, and that further studies were necessary to determine the exact mechanism of action and whether CSE could have a potential anti-diabetic impact on other insulin-responsive tissues or on pancreatic beta cells.

However, they concluded that the current study “validates the traditional use of cashew tree products in diabetes,” and that their results “suggest that CSE may be a potential anti-diabetic nutraceutical.”