Cat beard has precious active ingredients that inhibit diabetes

The new study found that the beard grows much in the mountains of Vietnam, has the effect of inhibiting diabetes and resistant to many cancer cell lines.

Research conducted by  Dr. Nguyen Phi Hung and colleagues of the Institute of Natural Products Chemistry (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) has just published an international report to find natural compounds with inhibitory activity on diabetes. in a bearded cat . This plant is also known as silver cotton (scientific name: Orthosiphon stamineus ) , a plant in the mint family, distributed mainly in the plains and mountainous areas such as Cao Bang, Vinh Loc (Thanh Hoa), Ba Vi (Hanoi), Lam Dong.

Cat whiskers. (Photo: wikipedia)

The team collected and isolated, isolated 40 compounds. Of these, 10 were identified by the group to inhibit the enzyme tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). Compared with the control, 10 compounds in the bearded cat were able to inhibit PTP1B 3-4 times. This enzyme is a factor that directly affects the metabolism of sugar, gluscose intolerance, causing diabetes if not balanced.

In particular, the two compounds with the highest levels in cat beard (rosmarinic acid and ursolic acid) , in addition to inhibiting diabetes, are also resistant to oxidation and resistance to many cancer cell lines. The activity of this substance is also found in some precious and difficult herbs to cultivate, such as black ginseng knitting and black musk. However, the cost to purchase these precious herbs is often quite high while the inhibitory activity of the compound is the same.

Dr. Hung said that, based on the experimental results, he and his colleagues will study and improve new methods to increase extraction efficiency to reach a high level of sophistication, in combination with crop facilities to change the environment. growth, thereby helping to improve the content of valuable compounds.

Dr. Hung is performing the process of extracting compounds in the laboratory. (Photo: NX).

The group is currently in the process of researching and preparing application compounds to make preparations to support diabetes treatment. The team has also identified a new compound and is going deep in identifying and identifying its properties and potential applications.

Cat beard tree is currently grown popular in the northern mountains, has a sweetness, coolness, diuretic, cooling effect, used to treat high blood pressure, urinary tract disease in Eastern medicine. Research on the chemistry and biological effects of cat whiskers in Vietnam is limited, there is no research on the chemical composition related to anti-diabetic activity towards increasing blood sugar absorption and inhibiting PTP1B enzyme was published.

"Finding potential and valuable compounds in common plants can help reduce the cost of preparation, the cost of pharmaceutical products will not be high, and the treatment effects may be the same , " Dr. Hung said. .