Dietary Genistein Influences Number of Acetylcholine Receptors in Female Diabetic Jejunum

Abstract

Background. Intestinal dysfunction in theob/obmouse model of diabetes mimics that seen clinically.Methods. We determined the effects of a 4-week genistein diet (600 mg genistein/kg food) on intestinal function (contractility, morphology, AChR, and motility) in femaleob/oband lean mice.Results. Contractility of the jejunum in response to incrementally increasing concentrations of KCl was comparable inob/obfemales and lean controls regardless of a genistein-diet. There were no changes in the wall thickness measured. We assessed the number of clusters of AChR in the jejunum wall; AChR were decreased by 48% inob/obmice versus leans, and the genistein diet reversed this. In utilizing a video-imaging system to evaluate gastrointestinal motility, we determined that the distance between consecutive contractile events was significantly increased by 1.87-fold inob/obmice versus leans, and the genistein diet was without effect.Conclusions. These data suggest that slowed intestinal transit in the diabeticob/obmouse may be due in part to decreased AChR and decreased contraction events occurring per unit time. A genistein diet rescues the number of AChR to levels of leans yet did not change the number of contractile events. Feedingob/obmice a genistein-rich diet has potential therapeutic benefits towards improving the debilitating diabetes-related gastrointestinal dysfunction.