Effect of guava (Psidium guajava L.) leaf extract on glucose uptake in rat hepatocytes

Fang Chi Cheng, Szu Chuan Shen, James Swi Bea Wu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

52 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

People in oriental countries, including Japan and Taiwan, boil guava leaves (Psidium guajava L.) in water and drink the extract as a folk medicine for diabetes. The present study investigated the enhancement of aqueous guava leaf extract on glucose uptake in rat clone 9 hepatocytes and searched for the active compound. The extract was eluted with MeOH-H2O solutions through Diaion, Sephadex, and MCI-gel columns to separate into fractions with different polarities. The uptake test of 2-[1-14C] deoxy-D-glucose in rat clone 9 hepatocytes was performed to evaluate the hypoglycemic effect of these fractions. The active compound was identified by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results revealed that phenolics are the principal component of the extract, that high polarity fractions of the guava leaf extract are enhancers to glucose uptake in rat clone 9 hepatocytes, and that quercetin is the major active compound. We suggest that quercetin in the aqueous extract of guava leaves promotes glucose uptake in liver cells, and contributes to the alleviation of hypoglycemia in diabetes as a consequence.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)H132-H138
JournalJournal of Food Science
Volume74
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009 Jun
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Diabetes
  • Glucose uptake
  • Phenolic
  • Psidium guajava L.
  • Quercetin

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of guava (Psidium guajava L.) leaf extract on glucose uptake in rat hepatocytes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this