The alpha-glucosidase inhibitor miglitol decreases glucose fluctuations and gene expression of inflammatory cytokines induced by hyperglycemia in peripheral leukocytes.

OBJECTIVE

Postprandial hyperglycemia is thought to cause inflammation in many tissues. In this study, we examined whether the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines/cytokine-like factors in peripheral leukocytes are altered by feeding streptozotocin-treated rats a diet containing an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, miglitol.

METHODS

Upregulated gene expression in peripheral leukocytes of streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats was determined by microarray analysis. We examined whether gene expression was altered by supplementing the diet with miglitol.

RESULTS

Microarray analysis revealed that gene expression of interleukin-1beta and putative inflammatory cytokines, S100a4/6/8/9, was induced by streptozotocin treatment. Dietary supplementation with miglitol to the streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats for 20 d not only increased plasma concentrations of a marker for glucose fluctuations, 1,5-anhydroglucitol, the concentration of which is decreased by sustained or postprandial elevated blood glucose levels, but also suppressed the induction of interleukin-1beta and S100a4/6/8/9 genes by hyperglycemia.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that miglitol inhibits the gene expression of inflammatory cytokines/cytokine-like factors in peripheral leukocytes by suppressing glucose fluctuations.