With the continuous development of society and the improvement of people's living standards, the prevalence of diabetes in mainland China continues to rise, which has brought great health problems to people.
At present, there are three main types of commonly used hypoglycemic drugs for diabetes: insulin, insulin sensitizers and diabetic dietary therapy. However, these drugs are often accompanied by serious side effects in the process of lowering blood sugar, such as insulin sensitizers that can easily lead to hypoglycemia, and even life-threatening in severe cases.
This has also led researchers to look for a new hypoglycemic drug that can effectively reduce blood sugar levels without serious side effects. Recently, the research team of the Key Laboratory of Tibetan Medicine at the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made an important progress. In their study of the endemic plant of Qinghai Province, the macrocarpus spur, they found that certain chemical components in the plant had a hypoglycemic effect similar to that of insulin, and were not accompanied by severe hypoglycemic reactions.
This discovery provides a new candidate for the development of new safe and effective hypoglycemic drugs, which is expected to bring important clinical benefits to diabetic patients. The findings were published online on March 19, 2021 in Science China: Life Sciences. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Innovation Program of the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology and Biotechnology.
1. The white thorn grows in the Qaidam Basin, which is known as the "treasure house of Tibetan medicine-an important medicinal and edible homologous plant in the plant resources of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau".
The underground tubers and leaves of the large-fruited white thorns are peculiar and have a unique appearance, just like the musical instrument "Bamboo Leaf Qin" in the Wuqiao performance scene, also known as "soil cucumber". The plant has strong adaptability to drought and frost stress, and its growth environment has accumulated abundant secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, polysaccharides, and volatile oils. From the perspective of metabolic active ingredients, the researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of the chemical composition of the spur and determined that the newly identified alkaloids such as β-Phalloids alkaloids and cyclic peptides confirmed that it has antidiabetic drug potential. What surprises will the plants in the corner of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau bring to the world?
1. The macrocarpus is a plant
The white thorn (also known as the fine thorn white thorn, bamboo leaf qin), is a plant of the saxifrage family, which is a local endemic plant in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and grows and reproduces in the ecological environment of the plant geography of Dachaidan. It usually grows in dry, fertile, windy and light places, between 2,400 and 4,500 meters above sea level. It is widely distributed in the southern part of Hoh Xili, Qaidam Basin, Kunlun Mountains and Qilian Mountains. It is a perennial perennial herbaceous plant composed of roots, stems, leaves, etc. The stem is oily, no more than 25cm high; The rhizome has convex leaves, which are wider than long, resembling a violin, so they are also called "violin thorns". During the fresh grass period, the leaves are mainly used as feed for livestock and wild animals; During the drying period, the tuber part of the white thorn is used as a "vegetable" in people's diets. "The treasure of the barren land", the large-fruited white thorn is still a crop supported by farmers and herdsmen.
2. The white thorn is a medicinal plant
With the botanical research, it has been gradually discovered that it contains abundant secondary metabolites. It grows underground in a dry environment, and the tubers composed of roots, stems, and leaves have a unique appearance, and their appearance is similar to that of a violin, and it is known as "violin white thorn". The tubers grow during the dry season, can be recycled for about 5 years, and have a volatile oil content of up to 1.5% after drying. Dried tubers can be used as a variety of "vegetables" in people's diets, not only can be processed into thin flakes for dry frying, but also processed into pickles, etc. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the white thorn is "sweet and cold", sweating, and is especially suitable for fever. It is generally used as a Chinese herbal medicine to cool blood and stop bleeding, and has health care effects such as clearing heat, dispelling fire, and diuretic.
3. The white thorn is an edible plant
It is a native plant in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and plays an important role in the local edible area. The tubers of the large-fruited white thorns grow in the dry season and can be recycled for about 5 years. Farmers and herders plant it in their own farmland, as a major cash crop, and it is also a daily necessity for rural residents.
4. The white thorn is a kind of livestock feed
It is a high-quality forage crop, and farmers and herders plant it in their farmland in order to make better use of this resource. In the fresh grass stage, the stems and leaves will be used in large quantities as feed for livestock and wild animals, providing them with protein nutrition. Moreover, it also has certain medicinal properties. The tubers of the white thorns grow in the dry season and can be used as a vegetable in the diet, and after being processed and fried, they have a strong fried flavor and are a unique traditional food in the region.
2. New discoveries in the white thorn of the macrocarpus
1. Secondary metabolites in the white thorn of the macrocarpa
Compared to other plants, the growth environment of the big-fruited white thorn is very special. It grows in harsh conditions such as dry, cold, and lack of oxygen, but it has formed its own operating mechanism in this harsh environment. Therefore, the secondary metabolites in this plant are relatively absent from other plants. Through research, researchers have found that its stems and tubers are rich in alkaloids, especially alkaloids with special secondary metabolic activities. This series of alkaloids has the effect of resisting cold, drying, and light burning when drying and feeding old plants. Moreover, the alkaloid effect is similar to that of antifreeze protein, which can strengthen plant cell membranes and proteins, and effectively improve the resistance to freezing and drying stresses.
It is worth mentioning that it contains the most metabolically active substance of the two classes of alkaloids. Although there is still no direct evidence that the alkaloids in S. macrocarpa have inhibitory effects on diabetes, researchers believe that it has a certain regulatory effect on glucose metabolism and has certain potential anti-diabetic effects.
At the same time, the researchers also found that its alkaloids contain a large number of cyclic peptides, especially in harsh environments such as hypoxia, salinity, acidity, etc., and the content of cyclic peptides is much higher than that in herbivorous plants. A large number of studies have proved that cyclic peptides have antiviral, antitumor, antibacterial, antiparasitic and other activities, which shows that cyclic peptides can be added to food and medicine.
2. A new discovery in the white thorn of the macrocarpus
According to reports, researchers have carried out a systematic analysis of the chemical structure and composition of the white thorn, and through modern separation and analysis technology, a new β-Phalloidal alkaloids and five new cyclic peptide alkaloids have been found in the Thorn, which is very similar to the structure of the alkaloids of the Phalloidal alkaloids, but the positions of the nitrogen atoms on the giant ring are reversed.
This β-Phalloides alkaloids greatly enriches the inventory of alkaloids in the center of the S. macrocarpa, but also causes it to condense to a β-Phalloides cyclic peptide alkaloid, but it is weakly active.
The β-Phalloidal alkaloids found in this large-fruited white thorn have certain antibacterial and antitumor activities. The cyclic peptide alkaloids in the white thorn of the large fruit are the cleavage of the β-Phalloidal Phalloidal Alkaloid, and after the cleavage of the α-base, the Phalloidal alkaloids are transformed from large peptides to the molecular structure of cyclic peptides. There are many cleavage sites of β-Phalloidin alkaloids, which can be cleaved at β sites or linked β sites and α sites, while the structure and nitrogen alternation positions of the β-Phalloids alkaloids after cleavage are different.
This discovery provides a theoretical basis for the cleavage identification of macrocarpa cyclic peptide alkaloids.
3. The impact of new findings on research and application
The abundant alkaloids and cyclic peptide alkaloids in S. macrocarpa can be used to prepare high-quality and high-efficiency protein feed additives, and their medicinal value is becoming increasingly prominent. However, due to the low alkaloid content and the special function is a natural antifreeze product, the current resources of white thorn are mainly used as a common resource for humans and animals, and there is no top.
This research result is a new brilliance in the field of secondary metabolites discovery of S. macrocarpa, which not only provides a scientific basis for the high-value development and utilization of S. macrocarpa, but also sets a new direction for the mainland in the field of medicinal plant research.
In the future, they will continue to tap the "bonanza" of Spur macrocephalus, and develop more highly active and efficient drugs, food, health products, etc., to bring more benefits to diabetics and the general population.