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Iowa State University researchers have developed an improved method for synthesis of A-type procyanidins, compounds found in cinnamon, which may be useful in the treatment of diabetes and other diseases.

The rise of Type 2 diabetes is a serious public health concern and the role of diet and lifestyle in its development have been the subject of intense research.  Plant-based foods, including many common spices, are thought to be important for the control and possibly prevention of Type 2 diabetes.  In fact, common spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and bay leaves have been shown to have insulin-potentiating activity in vitro, with type A procyandidins being identified with having insulin promoting activity.  Unfortunately, type-A procyanidins are difficult to synthesize, making investigation into their possible role in the treatment and/or prevention of Type 2 diabetes more demanding.  To overcome this obstacle, ISU researchers have developed a convenient one-step synthesis method for type-A procyanidins that does not require the complex starting materials or suffer from low yields of other known synthesis methods.  Since this method can be scaled to produce gram quantities of material, it may represent a starting point for the development of type A procyanidin-based drug leads for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and possibly other diseases.

• Simple (synthesis requires only one step) 
• Efficient (yields of 76-80% have been demonstrated)