title: Cocoa-rich diet attenuates beta cell mass loss and function in young Zucker diabetic fatty rats by preventing oxidative stress and beta cell apoptosis.
abstract: We have recently shown that cocoa flavanols may have anti-diabetic potential by promoting survival and function of pancreatic beta-cells in vitro. In this work, we investigated if a cocoa-rich diet is able to preserve beta-cell mass and function in an animal model of type 2 diabetes and the mechanisms involved. Our results showed that cocoa feeding during the prediabetic state attenuates hyperglycaemia, reduces insulin resistant, and increases beta cell mass and function in obese Zucker diabetic rats. At the molecular level, cocoa-rich diet prevented beta-cell apoptosis by increasing the levels of Bcl-xL and decreasing Bax levels and caspase-3 activity. Cocoa diet enhanced the activity of endogenous antioxidant defenses, mainly glutathione peroxidase, preventing thus oxidative injury induced by the pre-diabetic condition and leading to apoptosis prevention. These findings provide the first in vivo evidence that a cocoa-rich diet may delay the loss of functional beta-cell mass and delay the progression of diabetes by preventing oxidative stress and beta-cell apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández-Millán
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cordero-Herrera
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Escrivá
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goya
authors.forename: María Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martín
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy; D004032:Diet; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011924:Rats, Zucker; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051020:bcl-X Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; C494828:Bax protein, rat; C494813:Bcl2l1 protein, rat; D010936:Plant Extracts; D059808:Polyphenols; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3
keywords: Apoptotic pathway; Glucose homeostasis; Glutathione enzymes; Pancreas; Type 2 diabetes mellitus