Study of interfacial tension between an organic solvent and aqueous electrolyte solutions using electrostatic dissipative particle dynamics simulationsWe measured the optical constants of aqueous biomaterial mixtures with various electrolyte concentrations using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The mixtures were divided into water and other electrolyte parts in mass fractions for analysis. The optical constants of the electrolyte, excluding water, were obtained by applying the ideal mixture equation, and the power absorption of the electrolyte was observed to be larger than that of water above 1 THz. Data from the measurement were fitted with the modified double Debye model, and the reorientation and hydrogen-bond formation decomposition times were found to decrease as the electrolyte concentration increased.

Cordyceps contains many health-promoting constituents. Recent studies revealed that the fruiting body of cordyceps significantly alleviates hyperglycemia which usually accompanies diabetes mellitus. The mechanism of the anti-hyperglycemic effect by cordyceps, however, is not fully understood. In this study, methanolic extracts were prepared from fruiting bodies of Paecilomyces tenuipes, and 4-beta acetoxyscirpendiol (ASD) was eventually purified from the extracts. The Na+/ glucose transporter-1 (SGLT-1) was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the effect of ASD on it was analyzed using voltage clamp and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG) uptake studies. Fluorescence microscopy was performed to monitor the effect of ASD on glucose uptake using HEK293 cells expressing recombinant SGLT-1. ASD inhibited SGLT-1 activity, and its two derivatives (2-acetoxyscirpenol and 15-acetoxyscirpendiol), were also effective; 15-acetoxyscirepenol was as inhibitory as ASD while diacetoxyscirpenol had less effect. Thus, the ASD in P. tenuipes may play an important role in lowering blood sugar in the circulatory system along with its derivatives as specific inhibitors of SGLT-1.

Cordyceps, an entomopathogenic fungus, contains many health-promoting ingredients. Recent reports indicate that the consumption of cordyceps helps reduce blood-sugar content in diabetics. However, the mechanism underlying this reduction in circulatory sugar content is not fully understood. Methanolic extracts were prepared from the fruiting bodies of Paecilomyces tenuipes, and 4-beta acetoxyscirpendiol (4-ASD) was eventually isolated and purified. Na + /Glucose transporter-1 (SGLT-1) was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the effect of 4-ASD on SGLT-1 was analyzed utilizing a voltage clamp and by performing 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG) uptake studies. 4-ASD was shown to significantly inhibit SGLT-1 activity compared to the non-treated control in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of the derivatives of 4-ASD (diacetoxyscirpenol or 15-acetoxyscirpendiol), SGLT-1 activity was greatly inhibited in an 4-ASD-like manner. Of these derivatives, 15-acetoxyscirepenol inhibited SGLT-1 as well as 4-ASD, whereas diacetoxyscirpenol was slightly less effective. Taken together, these results strongly indicate that 4-ASD in P. tenuipes may lower blood sugar levels in the circulatory system. We conclude that 4-ASD and its derivatives are effective SGLT-1 inhibitors.

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