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Dietary polyphenols decrease glucose uptake by human intestinal Caco-2 cells

Kelly Johnston1, Paul Sharp, Michael Clifford

  • 1Centre for Nutrition and Food Safety, School of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK.

FEBS Letters
|March 11, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Dietary polyphenols impact intestinal glucose absorption. Certain polyphenols, like flavonoid glycosides, inhibit active glucose transport, while others, such as aglycones, affect facilitated glucose uptake.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Science
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Dietary polyphenols are plant-derived compounds with potential health benefits.
  • Intestinal glucose uptake is crucial for nutrient absorption and energy homeostasis.
  • Understanding how polyphenols affect glucose transport mechanisms is important for metabolic health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the differential effects of various dietary polyphenol classes on intestinal glucose uptake.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which polyphenols modulate glucose transport in intestinal cells.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized polarized Caco-2 intestinal cells, a model for human intestinal epithelium.
  • Assessed glucose uptake under both sodium-dependent (active transport) and sodium-free (facilitated transport) conditions.

Main Results:

  • Flavonoid glycosides and non-glycosylated polyphenols inhibited sodium-dependent glucose uptake.
  • Aglycones and non-glycosylated polyphenols inhibited glucose uptake under sodium-free conditions.
  • Non-glycosylated polyphenols appear to act via steric hindrance; specific compounds like epigallocatechin gallate were effective against both transporters.

Conclusions:

  • Dietary polyphenols differentially affect intestinal glucose transport mechanisms.
  • Aglycones primarily inhibit facilitated glucose uptake, while glycosides inhibit active glucose transport.
  • Non-glycosylated polyphenols demonstrate broad inhibitory effects on glucose transporters.

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