Functional Effects of the Buckwheat Iminosugar d‐Fagomine on Rats with Diet‐Induced Prediabetes

Abstract

d-Fagomine delays the development of a fat-induced prediabetic state in rats by reducing low-grade inflammation. We suggest that the anti-inflammatory effect of d-fagomine may be linked to a reduction in fat-induced overpopulation of minor gut bacteria.

Combined Buckwheat d-Fagomine and Fish Omega-3 PUFAs Stabilize the Populations of Gut Prevotella and Bacteroides While Reducing Weight Gain in Rats

“…We have now shown here that this iminosugar reduced body weight gain by 15% over the 5 months of the intervention, when administered either alone or together with ω-3 PUFAs. These results are in line with previous studies which proved that d -fagomine was capable of reducing body weight gain in both SD and WKY rats fed energy-dense diets [15,16,38]. Therefore, d -fagomine appears to be effective at reducing body weight gain in both SD and WKY rats fed either a standard or an obesogenic diet.…”

“…These results highlight the differences between rat strains and doses in terms of response to putatively obesogenic components [37]. d -Fagomine consistently reduced weight gain in the present study, as in previous reports [15,16]. We have now shown here that this iminosugar reduced body weight gain by 15% over the 5 months of the intervention, when administered either alone or together with ω-3 PUFAs.…”

“…d -Fagomine (>98%) manufactured by Bioglane SLNE (Barcelona, Spain) was generously provided by Taihua Shouyue (HK) International Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong, China). It was included in the feed at a proportion of 0.96 g/kg feed as defined in previous studies [14,16]. The mean daily dose of d -fagomine was 4.6 mg per 100 g body weight, calculated from a mean feed consumption of 4.8 g feed per day per 100 g body weight.…”

“…d -Fagomine was first isolated from seeds of buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum ) and it is also present in other plant parts such as mulberry ( Morus alba ) leaves and gogi ( Lycium chinense ) roots [12,13]. The functional effects of d -fagomine include a reduction of post-prandial blood glucose concentration, achieved through the inhibition of intestinal disaccharidases [14]; and reductions in high-fat-diet-induced weight gain, low-grade inflammation and impaired glucose tolerance, probably all achieved by counteracting adverse changes in gut microbiota [15,16]. Moreover, d -fagomine promotes the diversity of gut microbiota by increasing populations of Bacteroidetes in healthy rats while mitigating the age-related reduction in the populations of putatively beneficial Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria [17].…”

Western Diet-Induced Metabolic Alterations Affect Circulating Markers of Liver Function before the Development of Steatosis

“…In this study, we analyzed the effect of the short-term administration of a diet rich in fat and refined sugar (Western diet) on the liver of Wistar Kyoto rats, a strain which is prone to develop liver steatosis when treated with diets rich in fat [36,37,38]. Although a Western diet, when consumed by humans, is typically characterized by high amounts of saturated fats, proteins from red meats, refined sugars such as sucrose and fructose and sodium, in animal studies the term Western diet is used for indicating a rodent diet that is higher in fat or manipulated with the aim of inducing chronic diseases associated with the Western human dietary pattern [39].…”