title: Quinoa seeds leach phytoecdysteroids and other compounds with anti-diabetic properties.
abstract: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) contains high levels of biologically active phytoecdysteroids, which have been implicated in plant defense from insects, and have shown a range of beneficial pharmacological effects in mammals. We demonstrated that the most prevalent phytoecdysteroid, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20HE), was secreted (leached) from intact quinoa seeds into water during the initial stages of seed germination. Leaching efficiency was optimized by ethanol concentration (70% ethanol), temperature (80°C), time (4h), and solvent ratio (5 ml/g seed). When compared to extraction of macerated seeds, the leaching procedure released essentially all the 20HE available in the seeds (491 μg/g seed). The optimized quinoa leachate (QL), containing 0.86% 20HE, 1.00% total phytoecdysteroids, 2.59% flavonoid glycosides, 11.9% oil, and 20.4% protein, significantly lowered fasting blood glucose in obese, hyperglycemic mice. Leaching effectively releases and concentrates bioactive phytochemicals from quinoa seeds, providing an efficient means to produce a food-grade mixture that may be useful for anti-diabetic applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology & Pathology, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. Electronic address: britgraf@eden.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Brittany L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology & Pathology, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poulev
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology & Pathology, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, 600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA.
authors.forename: Mary H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.affiliation: Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, 600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lila
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology & Pathology, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. Electronic address: raskin@aesop.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raskin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027465:Chenopodium quinoa / Q000737:chemistry*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D004441:Ecdysterone / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D004441:Ecdysterone
keywords: Ecdysterone; Flavonoids; Metabolic syndrome; Nutraceutical; Phytoecdysteroids