The results of a new study in mice suggest thatelenolic acid, a natural compound present in olives, can lower blood sugar levels e promote weight loss. The search for Virginia Tech, one of the most important American universities, could lead the way in the development of safe and economical natural products to control obesity and type 2 diabetes in people.
The researchers found that after just one week, i obese mice with diabetes who had received elenolic acid orally they weighed significantly less and showed better blood sugar (glucose) regulation than before treatment and compared to obese control mice that did not receive elenolic acid. L'hypoglycemic effect it was comparable to that of the injectable diabetes drug liraglutide and better than that of metformin, one of the most common oral drugs for type 2 diabetes.
“Lifestyle modifications and public health measures have had little impact on the increasing prevalence of obesity, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes,” said the leader of the research team Dongmin Liu, professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Exercise at Virginia Tech.
Secondo Liu, “Available obesity medications are ineffective at maintaining weight loss, are expensive, and/or pose potential long-term safety risks. Our goal was to develop safer, cheaper and more convenient multi-target agents that can prevent the onset of metabolic disorders and type 2 diabetes.”
Liu's research group focuses on the discovery of bioactive compounds from natural products for the treatment of diabetes. Previously, they had looked for specific molecular targets for natural compounds in parts of the body that actively help regulate metabolism, such as the pancreas, muscle, fatty tissues and liver. However, since natural products typically have low bioavailability, they decided to see if they could instead target the secretion of metabolic hormones in the gut to indirectly regulate metabolic function.
For the new work, the researchers began by identifying natural compounds that act on L cells, which contain two metabolic hormones released during a meal. These hormones, called GLP-1 and PYY, work together to promote satiety and prevent overeating, while also controlling blood sugar levels and metabolism. The screening process revealed that elenolic acid, present in ripe olives and extra virgin olive oil, can induce the release of these hormones in the intestine. They were able to produce elenolic acid by breaking down its precursor oleuropein, which is less expensive than extracting it directly from olives.
Tests of the compound on obese mice with diabetes revealed that Mice treated with oral elenolic acid experienced significant improvements in their metabolic health compared to obese control mice. After 4-5 weeks of treatment, the mice showed a 10,7% reduction in obesity, as well as blood sugar levelsand and insulin sensitivity comparable to that of lean, healthy mice.
Elenolic acid also has significantly reduced food intake e promoted weight loss.
“Overall, the study demonstrated that elenolic acid from olives has promising effects on hormone release and metabolic health, particularly in conditions of obesity and diabetes,” said Liu, who specified that “the compound appears to mimic the physiological conditions of nutrition to directly promote the secretion of intestinal metabolic hormones, which help regulate energy balance and metabolic health.”
The research team is now working to understand how this compound generates metabolic benefits by analyzing its journey through the body to discover how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted. This will also reveal information about its safety for future clinical trials.
