Research - Nasuha Herba dan Rempah Karya Sari Sdn. Bhd.

ARS scientists and colleagues have isolated and characterized several polyphenolic polymer compounds from cinnamon bark that could one day become natural ingredients in products aimed at lowering blood sugar levels. The newly identified chemical structures were recently named in a patent application and described in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. ARS chemist Richard A. Anderson co-authored the study with colleagues at the Beltsville (Maryland) Human Nutrition Research Center and two universities.

Impaired sugar and fat metabolism is present in millions of people and may lead to type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In test tube assays using fat cells, the polyphenolic polymers were found to increase sugar metabolism a whopping 20-fold. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas to regulate sugar metabolism. In people with type-2 diabetes, either the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin or the body is unable to use it correctly. Both conditions lead to unhealthy blood levels of sugar that would otherwise provide energy to muscles.

During a decade of efforts to find natural compounds that could help maintain normal blood sugar levels, the scientists tested several components of cinnamon. The newly characterized chemical structures are closely related to a previously reported chemical derivative of cinnamon, MHCP-methylhydroxychalcone polymer. The researchers also tested scores of other plant extracts, but none displayed insulin-enhancing activity near that of cinnamon.

"These new compounds increase insulin sensitivity by activating key enzymes that stimulate insulin receptors, while inhibiting the enzymes that deactivate them," says Anderson, who is with the Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory. "Polyphenols are known for their antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory functions, but they have not been commonly known to improve insulin function, he says. "The polyphenolic polymers in cinnamon bark have antioxidant effects, which may provide synergistic benefits to persons with various forms of diabetes."

This research is part of Human Nutrition, an ARS National Program (#107) described on the World Wide Web at ww.nps.ars.usda.gov

Richard A. Anderson is with the USDA-ARS Nutrient Requirements and Functions Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Bldg. B307C, Room 224, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350; phone (301) 504-8091, fax (301) 504-9062.

"Insulin Imitators: Polyphenols Found in Cinnamon Mimic Job of Hormone" was published in the April 2004 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Recent Scientific Studies on Morinda Citrifolia (Noni)

Dr Ralph Heinicke: Xeronine Cell Regeneration

As a research in Hawaii, Dr. Ralph Heinicke became aware of the marvelous benefits of the Noni Fruit and set out to find the pharmacologically active ingredient of the Noni. Dr. Heinicke had spent over 45 years studying the effects of an alkaloid he discovered and named heroines. Xeronine is a relatively small alkaloid which is physiologically very active and important for the proper function of all cells in the body.

In this research, Dr. Heinicke discovered that the Noni contacts appreciable amount of the recursor of xeronine that he named "pro-xeronine releases pure xeronine in the intestines when it comes in contact with a particular enzyme also found in the Noni. Dr. Heinicke's theory is that when released, xeronine actually works at the molecular level to repair damaged cells. Dr. Heinick states that the primary function of xeronine is to regulate the rigidity and shape of specific proteins. Since these proteins have different functions within the cells, this explains how the administration of Noni causes an unbelievably wide range of physiological responses.

A.Hirazumi,E.Furrasawa,S.C. Chou and Y. Hokama. "AntiCancer Activity of Morinda Citrifolia on Intraperitoneally implanted Lewis Lung Carcinoma in Syngenis Mice."

The study by Ms. Hirazumi and her colleagues was conducted on live laboratory mice (specifically C57B1/6 mice) specifically identified as very receptive to injected Lewis Lung Carcinoma cells. The mice were injected with active Lewis Lung carcinoma cells (LLC). Untreated, the mice died form 9-12 days after injection from tumor growth. A portion of the injected mice were treated with Noni in five separate daily treatments. The Noni was shown to significantly increase the life span of the treated mice with 9 of 22 mice surviving for more than 50 days. The experiment was repeated on a different lot of mice with similar results.

T.Hiramatsu, M.Imoto, T.Koyana, K.Umezawa. "Induction of Normal Phenotypes in RAS-transformed cells by Damnacanthal from Morinda Citrifolia."

In this study, a team of Japanese researchers studied the effect of over 500 extracts form tropical plants on the K-ras-NRK cell, (a pre-cursor to certain types of cancer.) The compound, damnacanthal, found in the Morinda Citrifolia (Noni), was found to be an inhibitor of ras function.

The research: Ras cells were seeded into 96 plates and incubated at 33 degrees Centigrade for 24 hours. The Noni plant extract was added and the cell morphology was examined every day for 5 days. The Ras function was inhibited by the injected plant extract. This same compound has been found to inhibit the Epstein-Barr virus early-antigen activation. The extract from the Morinda Citrifolia was found to be most effective in inhibiting Ras function among the 500 tested extracts.

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