Prospects of creating a new medicine based on biologically active substances of bearberry leaves for correction of the metabolic syndrome

Topicality. The metabolic syndrome is pathogenetically interrelated metabolic disorders in the condition of a sick person. A large set of factors is involved in its occurrence. Risk factors include genetic predisposition, overeating, insulin resistance, obesity, bad habits, hypodynamics, stress and unfavorable environmental conditions. First of all, defects of the lipid and carbohydrate metabolism provoke a cascade of genetic, metabolic, hormonal, nervous, inflammatory and other reactions and disorders in cells, tissues and organs, causing the metabolic syndrome and associated diseases, such as diabetes, kidney and gallstone disease, hypertension, platelet hyperaggregation, etc. Therefore, the rational use of synthetic and herbal medicines in the complex correction of these disorders can slow down the development of the metabolic syndrome. Aim. To develop the method for obtaining a dry modified extract from bearberry, study its chemical composition, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity in order to determine the prospects of its use for the correction of the metabolic syndrome. Materials and methods. The study object was a dry extract of bearberry leaves modified with cysteine. HPLC and spectrophotometry were used to analyze the extract obtained. The hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity of dry extracts of bearberry was studied in rats with insulin resistance. Results and discussion. The method for obtaining a dry modified extract from bearberry leaves was developed by adding cysteine. Phenologlycoside (arbutin), 2 phenolic acids (gallic and ellagic), 6 flavonoids, 8 saponins were identified in the extract, and their quantitative content was determined. Hyperoside and catechin were dominant among flavonoids, and ursolic acid, uvaol, and lupeol prevailed among saponins. The content of the main groups of phenolic compounds was determined in the extract by spectrophotometry. The introduction of the dry extract from bearberry leaves modified with cysteine has a normalizing effect on metabolic disorders on the background of a high-fructose diet; therefore, it can be a promising agent for the correction of the metabolic syndrome. Conclusions. As a result of the research conducted, a new dry extract from bearberry leaves modified with cysteine has been created. The phytochemical composition, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities of the extract have been studied, indicating the prospects for its use to correct the metabolic syndrome.