Promotion of Glucose Uptake in C2C12 Myotubes by Cereal Flavone, Tricin and Its Underlying Molecular Mechanism

Abstract

Tricin is a widely distributed flavonoid found in outer layer of cereal crops. The effect of tricin on glucose uptake and its underlying mechanism were evaluated using C2C12 mouse skeletal muscle cells. The glucose uptake determined by 2‐deoxy‐2‐[(7‐nitro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazol‐4‐yl)amino]‐D‐glucose (2‐NBDG) was significantly increased in a dose dependent manner by the addition of tricin and tricin increased glucose uptake by 1.4‐fold at 20 μM. The glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation to the plasma membrane observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy was significantly increased by tricin treatment. The molecular mechanism of tricin mediated glucose uptake was examined by Western blot analysis. Tricin increased activation of protein kinase B (Akt) and AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) involved in both insulin‐dependent and insulin‐independent signaling pathways. These result suggest that tricin promotes glucose uptake via Akt and AMPK signaling pathways in C2C12 myotubes and has potential as an anti‐diabetic agent.Support or Funding InformationThis research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2014R1A2A2A01007169)