Effect of steviol glycosides on glucose transport activity in different cell types

none7Overweight or obese people is continuously rising in industrialized nations. This people is subjected to an increased risk for a number of deleterious health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. Type 2 diabetes is associated to impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance in peripheral tissues, leading to hypoinsulinemia and hyperglycemia. Therefore, non toxic, weight controlling sugar substitutes as well as newer and safer agents for treatment of type 2 diabetes are needed. Steviol glycosides, non caloric, natural sweeteners extracted from Stevia rebaudiana, have been used as antihyperglycemic agents, but little is known about their mechanism of action at molecular level, especially on their potential interaction with cellular glucose transport system. We studied glucose transport activity in different cell types expressing GLUT1, the basal glucose transporter, and GLUT4, the insulin sensitive one. It has been known that GLUT4, largely confined in intracellular storage site, becomes recruited to the cell surface under the influence of insulin and other stimuli, but also the isoform GLUT1 translocates to the plasma membrane in response to several stimuli. Thus, we investigated whether rebaudioside A and stevioside could be able to modulate glucose uptake of these cells and possibly to influence the intracellular distribution of GLUT isoforms.mixedB. Rizzo; L. Zambonin; E. Leoncini; F. Vieceli Dalla Sega; C. Prata; D. Fiorentini; S. HreliaB. Rizzo; L. Zambonin; E. Leoncini; F. Vieceli Dalla Sega; C. Prata; D. Fiorentini; S. Hreli