Abscisic Acid – A natural compound that helps control blood sugar
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a sesquiterpene found in nature, especially in many fruits and vegetables such as figs, apples, blueberries, bananas, avocados, cucumbers, and some species of the genus Citrus . In vivo, endogenous ABA is released by pancreatic β cells when blood glucose levels are high to help control blood sugar and homeostasis.
Some in vitro and in vivo studiesIn recent years, the role of ABA in human blood glucose has been elucidated. The mechanism of action of ABA is to regulate genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism. In particular, ABA binds to the Lanthionine synthetase C-like 2 (LANCL2) receptor and induces cell signaling. This sequence of actions increases the expression of glucose transporter (GLUT-4) and stimulates Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) release in the gut, which aids in the uptake of glucose into the cells. Several animal studies showed that a low-dose ABA diet improved glucose tolerance in healthy rats without increasing insulin levels. In addition, in diabetic rats, ABA administered orally also improved glucose tolerance. Special,
Recently, ABA extract from figs ( Ficus carica L.) – ABAlife TM , has been studied to evaluate the effectiveness on parameters of glucose metabolism, especially Glycemic Index (GI) and index Insulinemic(II) by scientists at the University of Sydney. The GI shows how quickly and efficiently the body can metabolize a meal, while the II shows how much insulin the body secretes in response to that meal.
Samples of ABAlife TM in 100 mg and 200 mg strengths were provided to healthy subjects. The results obtained are promising. The highest dose with 200 mg of ABAlife added to a glucose solution reduced blood glucose and insulin levels 30 to 120 minutes after administration. The glycemic index (GI) significantly improved compared with the reference glucose solution. Lower doses (100 mg) were also effective on GI but did not achieve statistical significance. In particular, both doses were able to significantly reduce the Postprandial Insulinemic Index (II), with the highest dose showing a more significant value (p < 0.01).
Thus, besides endogenous ABA in the body, the use of dietary ABA in the form of food or drink can be proposed as a solution to improve glucose tolerance, especially to maintain glucose tolerance. Maintain healthy blood sugar and prevent diabetes.
Summary and translation
References
- Ameri P., Bruzzone S., Mannino E., Sociali G., Andraghetti G., Salis A., Ponta ML, Briatore L., Adami GF, Ferraiolo A., Venturini PL, Maggi D., Cordera R., Murialdo G., … Zocchi E. (2015). Impaired increase of plasma abscisic Acid in response to oral glucose load in type 2 diabetes and in gestational diabetes. PloS one , 10(2), e0115992.
- Bassaganya-Riera, J., Guri, AJ, Lu, P., Climent, M., Carbo, A., Sobral, BW, Horne, WT, Lewis, SN, Bevan, DR, … Hontecillas, R. (2010) . Abscisic acid regulates inflammation via ligand-binding domain-independent activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma. The Journal of biological chemistry , 286 (4), 2504-2516.
- Bassaganya-Riera J., J. Skoneczka, DG Kingston, A. Krishnan, SA Misyak, AJ Guri, A. Pereira, AB Carter, P. Minorsky, R. Tumarkin and R. Hontecillas (2010), “Mechanisms of action and medicinal applications of abscisic Acid”, Curr Med Chem , 17(5), 467-478.
- Lievens L., J. Pollier, A. Goossens, R. Beyaert and J. Staal (2017), “Abscisic Acid as Pathogen Effector and Immune Regulator”, Front Plant Sci , 8, 587.
- Zangra Andrea (2018), “Effect of a Novel Ficus Carica (Fig) Fruit Extract Standardized in Abscisic Acid on the Glycemic and Insulinemic Responses in Healthy Human Subjects”, Diabetes , 67(Supplement 1).
- Zocchi E., R. Hontecillas, A. Leber, A. Einerhand, A. Carbo, S. Bruzzone, N. Tubau-Juni, N. Philipson, V. Zoccoli-Rodriguez, L. Sturla and J. Bassaganya-Riera ( 2017), “Abscisic Acid: A Novel Nutraceutical for Glycemic Control”, Front Nutr , 4, 24.
