Hypoglycemic Effect of Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) Extract on Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice

Effect of Pediococcus acidilactici and mango seed polyphenols on the fermentative profile of the indigestible fraction of yam bean

Yam bean is an important source of dietary fiber and other components that comprise the total indigestible fraction (TIF), which can be fermented by the colonic microbiota and produce metabolites with beneficial health effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro colonic fermentation of yam bean TIF and the changes caused by the addition of a polyphenolic extract of mango seed and the lactic acid bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici. The mango seed extract was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction, and the microbial growth rate and viability of P. acidilactici were determined using a Neubauer chamber. Yam bean TIF was isolated by triple enzymatic hydrolysis and subjected to in vitro colonic fermentation in combination with treatments with mango seed extract and P. acidilactici suspensions. Changes in pH, total soluble phenols (TSP), and antioxidant capacity (AOX) were evaluated. Furthermore, the production of metabolites was quantified by HPLC-DAD-MS and GC-MS. The Growth rate of P. acidilactici was 0.1097 h-1 with 97.5 % viability at 7 h of incubation. All TIF treatments showed a high capacity of fermentation, and the addition of mango seed extract increased the TSP content and AOX in DPPH and FRAP assays. A total of Forty-six volatile metabolites were detected, with highlighting the presence of esters, benzenes, aldehydes, and short-chain fatty acids. Five phenolic compounds associated with mango by-products were quantified during all fermentation process, despite the concentration of the extract. P. acidilactici did not substantially modify the fermentative profile of TIF. However, further studies such as the evaluation of the abundance of microbial communities may be necessary to observe whether it can generate changes during colonic fermentation.

The Bioactivity and Phytochemicals of Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb.: A Multifunctional Underutilized Crop Plant

Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb. is an underutilized crop plant belonging to the Fabaceae family. In recent years, the plant received huge attention and was introduced in different countries owing to properties such as a high nutritional content, its nitrogen-fixing abilities, and different biological activities such as its antioxidant, immune modulation, anticancer, anti-diabetes, anti-osteoporosis, antiviral, and antiaging affects, among others. In this review, an attempt has been made to comprehensively compile the biological activities of the plant to provide a panoramic view of the current efforts and further directions, which may lead to the development of pharmacological applications. This information will be helpful in creating interest towards P. erosus and it may be useful in developing the plant for medical applications and/or as a functional food. More than 50 phytochemicals have been reported from the plant, which belong to different chemical classes such as triterpenoids, organic acid, flavonoids, and fatty acids. Numerous biological activities were reported from the plant through in vivo, in vitro, ex vivo, and human studies. However, well-defined clinical studies are still lacking for the establishment of any biological properties that could be further developed. Suggestions for the further development of P. erosus, according to current knowledge about the different biological properties, has also been provided.

Chemical Constituents from the Leaves of Pachyrhizus erosus Collected in Vietnam

A phytochemical investigation of methanol extract from leaves of Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urban, a leguminous shrub distributed in Vietnam and other tropical and subtropical countries led to the isolation of a new prenylated chalcone, erosusone (1) and a new megastigmane glycoside epimer, 3-episedumoside F₁ (9), together with thirteen known compounds including flavonoids (2-6), a 3-benzoxepine lactone (7), a pyridine-4,5-diol derivative (8), megastigmanes and megastigmane glycosides (10-15). Their structures were elucidated by means of high resolution-electrospray ionization (HR-ESI)-MS, one dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional NMR (2D-NMR) spectroscopy as well as comparison with the data reported in the literature. The cytotoxic effects on LU-1 (lung carcinoma), HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), and MCF7 (breast carcinoma) cell lines were assessed. Prenylated chalcones 1-2 and isoflavone 3 exhibited cytotoxicity against all tested cell lines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 22.04 to 45.03 µM.

Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) fiber prevents excessive blood glucose and body weight increase without affecting food intake in mice fed with high-sugar diet

OBJECTIVE

Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) fiber has been documented to exert an immunomodulatory effect both in vitro and in vivo. However, its beneficial effect against metabolic syndrome remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal whether the jicama fiber (JF) could prevent the development of diabetes and obesity caused by a high-sugar diet (HSD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The JF was isolated from its tuberous part and subsequently used as a supplemental diet for adult male Bagg and Albino (BALB)/c mice fed with a HSD. Four different diet paradigms including normal diet, HSD (30% sucrose), and HSD in combination with 10% and 25% of JF, respectively, were deployed continuously for 8 weeks. Furthermore, the blood glucose level, glucose tolerance, body weight, food and water consumption as well as epididymal white adipose tissue (WAT) and interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass were determined.

RESULTS

Our results revealed that supplementation of 25% JF could significantly prevent the blood glucose increase, excessive body weight gain, and glucose intolerance in mice fed with HSD. Moreover, 10% and 25% JF blunted the HSD-induced WAT mass gain but failed to counteract the depletion of BAT mass. Furthermore, the fiber supplementation elicited a minimum effect on rhythm and total food and water intake.

CONCLUSION

The JF could effectively sustain blood glucose homeostasis as well as improve body weight and WAT mass profile against the development of diabetes and obesity caused by HSD.