An extract of Gymnema sylvestre leaves and purified gymnemic acid inhibits glucose-stimulated gastric inhibitory peptide secretion in rats.

Gastric inhibitory peptide release into the portal vein in response to duodenal infusion of D-glucose was studied in the presence of a leaf extract of Gymnema sylvestre, purified gymnemic acid and inhibitors of some putative glucose sensors and carriers in the intestinal lumen. Intraduodenal infusion of D-glucose significantly increased the portal immunoreactive gastric inhibitory peptide concentration in a dose-dependent manner. The increase in the portal immunoreactive gastric inhibitory peptide induced by glucose was significantly depressed by concomitantly infused leaf extract of Gymnema sylvestre, purified gymnemic acid and phlorizin but not by cytochalasin B. Mannoheptulose, which inhibits glycolysis, and procaine and lidocaine, which inhibit the vagal glucoreceptor in the lumen, did not affect portal immunoreactive gastric inhibitory peptide concentrations. These results suggest that a glucose receptor, which interacts with the leaf extract of Gymnema sylvestre, purified gymnemic acid and phlorizin, exists for the release of immunoreactive gastric inhibitory peptide and that the glucose receptor for gastric inhibitory peptide release is not likely to be identical with a glucose transporter or a vagal glucoreceptor in the lumen.