Disease relevance of Spdy1

• To determine whether extracts of Gymnema sylvestre may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), we examined the effects of an alcoholic extract of G. sylvestre (GS4) on insulin secretion from rat islets of Langerhans and several pancreatic beta-cell lines [1].
• Gain in body weight, food intake, pancreas weight and the pancreatic contents of IRI, protein, amylase and trypsinogen were unaltered in the GS4-treated group compared with the control [2].

High impact information on Spdy1

• Examination of islet and beta-cell integrity after exposure to GS4, by trypan blue exclusion, indicated that concentrations of GS4 that stimulated insulin secretion also caused increased uptake of dye [1].
• Blockade of voltage-operated Ca(2+) channels with 10 microM isradipine did not significantly affect GS4-induced secretion, and insulin release in response to GS4 was independent of incubation temperature [1].
• These results confirm the stimulatory effects of G. sylvestre on insulin release, but indicate that GS4 acts by increasing cell permeability, rather than by stimulating exocytosis by regulated pathways [1].
• GS4 stimulated insulin release from HIT-T15, MIN6 and RINm5F beta-cells and from islets in the absence of any other stimulus, and GS4-stimulated insulin secretion was inhibited in the presence of 1 mM EGTA [1].
• (G. sylvestre; GS4) on glucose homeostasis was studied in rats [2].

Chemical compound and disease context of Spdy1

• Administration of 1 g/kg body weight of GS4 to 18-h fasted non-diabetic rats significantly attenuated the serum glucose response to oral administration of 1 g/kg glucose [2].

Biological context of Spdy1

• In diabetic rat pancreas, both GS3 and GS4 were able to double the islet number and beta cell number [3].

Associations of Spdy1 with chemical compounds

• Two gymnemic acid-enriched fractions of GS4, obtained by size exclusion and silica gel chromatography, also caused increases in insulin secretion concomitant with increased trypan blue uptake [1].
• In mildly diabetic rats, a 60 min increment in serum glucose concentrations was significantly reduced by GS4 administration [2].
• In the first set of experiments, the acute effect of GS4 was examined in both non-diabetic and streptozocin (30 mg/kg)-induced mildly diabetic rats [2].

References