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