| Title | Are the effects of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors on cardiovascular events related to elevated levels of hydrogen gas in the gastrointestinal tract? | | Author(s) | Suzuki Y, Sano M, Hayashida K, Ohsawa I, Ohta S, Fukuda K | | Institution | Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Development and Aging Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Kawasaki city, 211-8533, Japan. | | Source | FEBS Lett 2009 Jun 5. | | Abstract | The major side-effect of treatment with alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, flatulence, occurs when undigested carbohydrates are fermented by colonic bacteria, resulting in gas formation. We propose that the cardiovascular benefits of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are partly attributable to their ability to neutralise oxidative stress via increased production of H(2)in the gastrointestinal tract. Acarbose, which is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, markedly increased H(2)production, with a weaker effect on methane production. Our hypothesis is based on our recent discovery that H(2)acts as a unique antioxidant, and that when inhaled or taken orally as H(2)-dissolved water it ameliorates ischaemia-reperfusion injury and atherosclerosis development. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 19505462 |
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