Researchers have found that quercetin as a component and the buckwheat effect from thetraditional Chinese herbal medicineAutophagy induced in skin and liver cells. These results could contribute to the treatment of various diseases associated with protein aggregation. Examples include alcoholic liver disease and Alzheimer's disease.
The potential magical effects of buckwheat under the microscope
Seeds such as quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat have been part of traditional cuisine for centuries. Nowadays, such superfoods are a real trend in culinary circles as an alternative to wheat and other grains. Now Japanese scientists have discovered that they could even use the buckwheat properties of a traditional liqueur medicinally. Osaka University researchers have shown that the ingredient in a Chinese buckwheat liquor, which also contains various herbal medicine extracts, can trigger autophagy. This is a process by which cells clean up proteins that are damaged or no longer needed. Autophagy plays an important role in diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. Therefore, according to the study authors, it could be of great interest to find a new way to promote this process. In fact, plant substances are an intriguing potential source of compounds that could be very helpful in this type of treatment. The researchers treated cells with buckwheat extract and examined how various fluorescent markers of autophagy responded.
The results clearly showed that the buckwheat effect of the liquor induced autophagy in epithelial cells. Treatment of cells with the extract also stimulated the formation of autophagasomes. These are specialized cellular structures that perform autophagy. Accordingly, the process changed the location of proteins involved in the regulation of autophagy. When the researchers examined certain components of the extract in more detail, they found that the quercetin component had the same effect. Additionally, both tartaric acid buckwheat extract and quercetin caused liver cells to purify protein aggregates through a process known as “aggrephagy.” Given that protein aggregates in liver cells are closely linked to alcoholic liver disease, laysthis studyIt also suggests that quercetin could be a useful treatment for patients with this condition. It may also hold promise for treating other diseases linked to protein aggregation, such as Alzheimer's.
