Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
Chem Biol Interact. 2011 Oct 15;194(1):31-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2011.08.009. Epub 2011 Aug 28.
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are sugars found naturally at high concentrations in the storage roots of yacon. This study was designed to analyze the beneficial effects of subchronic oral consumption of yacon root flour as a diet supplement in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. The experiments were carried out using yacon flour tablets containing the desired level of FOS (340 or 6800mg FOS/kg body weight/day). Yacon flour is a natural product obtained by a simple process of dehydration of yacon roots without added preservatives or chemicals. The administration of FOS-rich yacon flour to diabetic rats for 90days did not significantly alter the body weight of animals throughout the experimental period. Interestingly, a significant decrease in fasting plasma triacylglycerol and very low-density lipoprotein levels were observed. In addition, the treatment was able to protect the diabetic rats of the postprandial peak of plasma triacylglycerol. Yacon-supplemented rats showed an increased insulin-positive pancreatic cell mass distributed in small cell clusters within the exocrine parenchyma, but can only observe a slight increase in fasting plasma insulin levels. Glucagon like peptide-1 content in the cecum was significantly higher in diabetic rats treated with a diet supplemented with yacon flour compared with untreated diabetic animals, accompanied by an important cecal tissue enlargement. All these findings lead us to suggest that this incretin could be an effective mediator of the lipid lowering effects of FOS present in yacon flour. In conclusion, yacon root flour is a natural product rich in FOS that could be well positioned as a nutraceutical product since the present results demonstrate its beneficial effects on diabetes-associated hyperlipidemia.
果寡糖（FOS）是在雅甘块根的储存根中以高浓度天然存在的糖。本研究旨在分析慢性口服雅甘根粉作为饮食补充剂对链脲佐菌素诱导的糖尿病 Wistar 大鼠的有益作用。实验使用含有所需水平 FOS（340 或 6800mg FOS/kg 体重/天）的雅甘粉片进行。雅甘粉是一种天然产物，通过雅甘根的简单脱水过程获得，不添加防腐剂或化学物质。在 90 天的时间里，给糖尿病大鼠喂食富含 FOS 的雅甘粉并没有显著改变动物的体重。有趣的是，空腹血浆三酰甘油和极低密度脂蛋白水平显著降低。此外，该治疗能够保护糖尿病大鼠的餐后血浆三酰甘油峰值。补充雅甘的大鼠表现出胰岛素阳性胰腺细胞质量增加，分布在外分泌实质中的小细胞簇中，但只能观察到空腹血浆胰岛素水平略有增加。与未治疗的糖尿病动物相比，用添加雅甘粉的饮食治疗的糖尿病大鼠的回肠中胰高血糖素样肽-1 含量显著升高，同时伴有回肠组织的重要增大。所有这些发现使我们认为，这种肠促胰岛素可能是雅甘粉中 FOS 降低血脂作用的有效介导物。总之，雅甘根粉是一种富含 FOS 的天然产物，可以作为一种营养保健品，因为目前的结果表明它对糖尿病相关的高脂血症有有益作用。
