The Hypoglycemic Effects of Acarviosine-Glucose Modulate Hepatic and Intestinal Glucose Transporters In vivo

Acarviosine-glucose (AcvGlc) is an ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitor and has similar inhibitory activity to acarbose in vitro. We synthesized AcvGlc by treating acarbose with Bacillus stearothermophilus maltogenic amylase and fed C57BL/6J and db/db mice with diets containing purified AcvGlc and acarbose for 1 week. AcvGlc (50 and 100 mg/100 g diet) significantly reduced plasma glucose and triglyceride levels in db/db mice by 42 and 51 %, respectively (p<0.0001). The hypoglycemic and hypotriglyceridemic effects of AcvGlc were slightly, but significantly, greater than those seen with acarbose treatment (p<0.0001) in C57BL/6J mice. In an oral glucose tolerance test, glucose tolerance was significantly improved at all time points (p<0.01). The expression of two novel glucose transporters (GLUTs), GLUT10 and GLUT12, were examined by Western blot analysis. GLUT10 was markedly increased in the db/db livers. After AcvGlc treatment, the expression of hepatic GLUT10 was decreased whereas intestinal GLUT12 was significantly increased in both strains of mice. Our results show that AcvGlc improves plasma lipid and glucose metabolism slightly more than acarbose. Regulation of hepatic GLUT10 and intestinal GLUT12 may be important in controlling blood glucose levels.