Grape-seed procyanidin extracts (GSPE) modulate glucose homeostasis, and it was suggested that GSPE may achieve this by enhancing the secretion of incretin hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine in detail the effects of GSPE on intestinal endocrine cells (STC-1). GSPE was found to modulate plasma membrane potential in enteroendocrine cells, inducing depolarization at low concentrations (0.05 mg/l) and hyperpolarization at high concentrations (50 mg/l), and surprisingly this was also accompanied by suppressed GLP-1 secretion. Furthermore, how GSPE affects STC-1 cells under nutrient-stimulated conditions (i.e., glucose, linoleic acid, and l-proline) was also explored, and we found that the higher GSPE concentration was effective in limiting membrane depolarization and reducing GLP-1 secretion. Next, it was also examined whether GSPE affected mitochondrial membrane potential, and it was found that this too is altered by GSPE; however, this does not appear to explain the observed effects on plasma membrane potential and GLP-1 secretion. In conclusion, our results show that grape-seed procyanidins modulate cellular membrane potential and nutrient-induced enteroendocrine hormone secretion in STC-1 cells.
Keywords: GLP-1; cellular membrane potential; enteroendocrine cell; grape-seed procyanidins.