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The stimulatory activities of polysaccharide compounds derived from algae extracts on insulin secretion in vitro
Dandan Zhang1, Isao Fujii, Changzheng Lin
1The Institute of Marine Drug and Food, College of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China.
Abstract:
We prepared two series of polysaccharide compounds derived from algae extracts and investigated their stimulatory activity on insulin secretion in vitro using the rat pancreatic cell line, RIN-5F. Several of the compounds exhibited significant stimulatory activity in a dose-dependent manner without apparent cytotoxicity at concentrations above 10 microM. Glybenclamide, a commonly prescribed sulfonylurea (SU) against diabetes mellitus type II, was used as a positive control and showed moderate cytotoxicity in the cell culture assay system. Amylin (IAPP; islet amyloid polypeptide), an inhibitor for glybenclamide, did not inhibit the activity of the isolated compounds, suggesting that they act through a mechanism(s) different from glybenclamide. Algae-derived extracts could be candidates for a new class of anti-diabetic drugs.
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