Diabetes and Obesity Drug Discovery & Therapy (Track)

Hypoglycemic natural products of cucurbitaceae-type triterpenoids from plants of the cucurbitaceae family

Chang-Hung Chou
Graduate Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Research Center for Biodiversity China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan

Abstract:

Plants of the Cucurbitaceae family have been used as folk medicine for treating diabetes, including Momordica charantia (bitter melon), Luffa cylindrica (loofah), and Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin). Extracts from bitter melons, wild bitter strain Hualien no. 2, pumpkins, and loofahs, respectively, were tested for hypoglycemic activities using cell-based screening system. Results of assays showed that the extracts of bitter melons, wild bitter melons and pumpkins exhibited significant hypoglycemic activities. Compounds of five cucurbitane-type triterpenes are (23E)-25-methoxycucurbit-23-ene 3β, 7β-dial (1), (23E)-cucurbita-5, 23, 25-triene-3β, 7β-dial (2), (23E)-25-hydroxycucurbita- 5, 23-diene-3,  7-dione (3), (23E) –cucurbita-3, 23, 25-trinen-3, 7-dione (4), and (23E) -5β, 19-epoxycucurbita-6, 23-diene-3β, 25 dial (5) which were first reported by us. Further hypoglycemic compounds from pumpkins and molecular mechanism underlying the hypoglycemic effects are in progress. They were shown to activate the AMP-activated protein kinase and the insulin signaling pathway. The detailed mechanism of their actions is in progress.Plants of the Cucurbitaceae family have been used as folk medicine for treating diabetes, including Momordica charantia (bitter melon), Luffa cylindrica (loofah), and Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin). Extracts from bitter melons, wild bitter strain Hualien no. 2, pumpkins, and loofahs, respectively, were tested for hypoglycemic activities using cell-based screening system. Results of assays showed that the extracts of bitter melons, wild bitter melons and pumpkins exhibited significant hypoglycemic activities. Compounds of five cucurbitane-type triterpenes are (23E)-25-methoxycucurbit-23-ene 3β, 7β-dial (1), (23E)-cucurbita-5, 23, 25-triene-3β, 7β-dial (2), (23E)-25-hydroxycucurbita- 5, 23-diene-3,  7-dione (3), (23E) –cucurbita-3, 23, 25-trinen-3, 7-dione (4), and (23E) -5β, 19-epoxycucurbita-6, 23-diene-3β, 25 dial (5) which were first reported by us. Further hypoglycemic compounds from pumpkins and molecular mechanism underlying the hypoglycemic effects are in progress. They were shown to activate the AMP-activated protein kinase and the insulin signaling pathway. The detailed mechanism of their actions is in progress.