Cyclodextrins (CyDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides consisting of six to eight glucose residues. Administration of α-CyD (six glucose residues) inhibits sucrose-induced hyperglycemia in humans. Here we show that oral administration of α-CyD and dimethyl α-CyD suppresses sucrose-induced hyperglycemia in an in vivo evaluation system using silkworms. On the other hand, β-CyD (seven glucose residues), γ-CyD (eight glucose residues), and their derivatives did not show the suppressive effect. These findings suggest that dimethyl α-CyD is a new inhibitor against sucrose-induced hyperglycemia and the silkworm system is useful for evaluation of suppressive activities of α-CyD derivatives against postprandial hyperglycemia.
Keywords: Cyclodextrin; hyperglycemic activity; silkworm; sucrose-induced hyperglycemia.