Improvement of blood glucose levels and obesity in mice given aronia juice by inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV and α-glucosidase.

Aronia berries have many potential effects on health. Previous human studies have shown that aronia juice may be useful for treatment of obesity disorders. Recently, we have reported that aronia juice has an inhibitory effect on dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP IV) activity and that the DPP IV inhibitor in aronia juice was identified as cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside. In this study, we found that body weights and blood glucose levels were reduced in diabetes model KK-Ay mice given aronia juice. We also found that weights of white adipose tissues were reduced in KK-Ay mice given aronia juice. Furthermore, levels of DPP IV activity in the serum and liver from KK-Ay mice were lower than those in the serum and liver from C57BL/6JmsSlc mice. Interestingly, although levels of DPP IV activity were not changed in the serum and liver from aronia-juice-administered KK-Ay mice, levels of DPP IV activity were increased in those from aronia-juice-administered C57BL/6JmsSlc mice. Furthermore, α-glucosidase activity was inhibited in the upper region of the small intestine from aronia-juice-administered KK-Ay mice but not in the lower region. Inhibition of α-glucosidase activity in the upper portion of the small intestine induced a reduction of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) level. The results suggest that DPP IV activity in diabetic mice is inhibited by aronia juice, that the GIP level in the upper region of the small intestine is reduced by inhibition of α-glucosidase activity and that weights of adipose tissues are reduced by aronia juice.