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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Measurement of Insulin- and Contraction-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Isolated and Incubated Mature Skeletal Muscle from Mice
Published on: May 16, 2021
CAPE (caffeic acid phenethyl ester) stimulates glucose uptake through AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) activation
Eun Soo Lee1, Kyung-Ok Uhm, Yun Mi Lee
1Department of Anatomy, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1 Anam-dong 5-ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-705, South Korea.
Abstract:
Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a flavonoid-like compound, is one of the major components of honeybee propolis. In the present study, we investigated the metabolic effects of CAPE in skeletal muscle cells and found that CAPE stimulated glucose uptake in differentiated L6 rat myoblast cells and also activated AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase). In addition, the inhibition of AMPK blocked CAPE-induced glucose uptake, and CAPE activated the Akt pathway in a PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)-dependent manner. Furthermore, CAPE enhanced both insulin-mediated Akt activation and glucose uptake. In summary, our results suggest that CAPE may have beneficial roles in glucose metabolism via stimulation of the AMPK pathway.
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