Glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Possess Insulin‐Mimetic and Antioxidant Activities in Rat Cardiac Fibroblasts

Bertoni is a shrub having a high content of sweet diterpenoid glycosides in its leaves, mainly stevioside and rebaudioside A, which are used as noncaloric, natural sweeteners. The aim of this study was to deepen the knowledge about the insulin-mimetic effect exerted by four different mixtures of steviol glycosides, rich in stevioside and rebaudioside A, in neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts. The potential antioxidant activity of these steviol glycosides was also assessed, as oxidative stress is associated with diabetes. Likewise the insulin effect, steviol glycosides caused an increase in glucose uptake into rat fibroblasts by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway, thus inducing Glut4 translocation to the plasma…

• MD
  Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca
• FD
  Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna