Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research
Project Number: 3020-43440-002-031-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2022
End Date: Sep 30, 2025
Objective:
The objective of this agreement is for University of Maryland to assist with ongoing research into sorghum polyphenols. More specifically, University of Maryland will conduct cell-based and animal based studies into the anti-obesity and anti-diabetes effects of sorghum being studied at ARS Manhattan. Mouse studies will be conducted using whole sorghum bran and cell based studies will be conducted using extracts and fractions of extracts in order to facilitate the identification of the bioactive components in the high polyphenol sorghum.
Approach:
ARS, Manhattan Kansas is engaged in research to improve grain composition traits related to end-use quality and value of sorghum. ARS and cooperator have identified three high phenolic sorghum genotypes with anti-obesity effects in a tissue culture system.
The cooperator will continue this research by conducting the following experiments:
Evaluation of sorghum extracts efficacy in mitigating insulin/blood sugar pathways in tissue culture systems.
Animal study using diet induced obesity in mice which will evaluate high polyphenol sorghum brans in preventing weight gain as well as lowering markers of diabetes, inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
Evaluation of sorghum extract fractions to determine which set of compounds are most beneficial in preventing obesity using a tissue culture system.
Cooperator will provide ARS with samples collected from the mouse experiment for ARS to measure changes in the microbiome of obese mice.
