Blue Agave, Tequila for Colon Health

Compounds derived from the blue agave fruit, which is used to make the popular hard liquor tequila, may help deliver drugs to the colon to treat colon diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) and cancer, a new study reports.

Researchers from the University of Guadalajara in Mexcio explained that drug delivery to the colon is an ongoing challenge to physicians. Stomach acids destroy many drugs before they have had a chance to reach the intestine, where they usually are absorbed. According to the authors of this study, researchers have tried to circumvent this problem by inserting the drugs into carrier molecules that resist breakdown in the stomach. However, they have had difficulty finding a suitable carrier compound.

Scientists developed the fructans, a class of polysaccharides, into tiny microspheres capable of carrying existing drugs that are used to treat colon diseases. Researchers suggested that the compounds may allow more of the drugs to reach the colon intact and improve their effectiveness because the compounds resist destruction in the stomach.

Fructans, which are polymers of fructose, are resistant to acid degradation and may be a useful drug delivery vehicle. But only a few plant sources, such as agave, contain fructans in large amounts. According to researchers, fructans make up 80 percent of a ripe agave fruit’s weight.

The scientists extracted fructans from the blue agave, the base ingredient of tequila. They chemically modified the fructan compound to allow drugs to be encapsulated, making the drugs resistant to degradation in the digestive system.

The researchers then prepared microspheres of the compounds and filled them with ibuprofen as a model of drug delivery to the colon. In laboratory tests, the ibuprofen-filled microspheres were exposed to hydrochloric acid for an hour and appeared physically intact upon subsequent microscopic examination, according to the researchers.

The researchers suggested that if further studies show promise, human studies of the agave microspheres are anticipated. The Mexican National Science and Technology Council provided funding for the study.

Agaves are succulent plants from the family Agavaceae, which includes Beschorneria, Furcraea, Hesperaloe, Manfreda, Polianthes, Prochnyanthes and Yucca. Agave plants are common in the American southwest, Mexico, central and tropical South America, the Mediterranean and some parts of India. Plants in the Agavaceae family are recognizable by their distinctive rosettes, which are composed of thick, hard, rigid leaves often with marginal teeth and usually with a sharp terminal spine and flower spikes. There are over 200 known species of Agave. Many species produce musky odors that attract bats serve to pollinate them, while others produce sweet odors to attract insects.

A sweet liquid (sap) called agua miel (honey water) gathers in the plant if the stem is cut before flowering. This sap is collected over a period of about two months, and can then be fermented to produce the alcoholic beverage pulque (octili), which Native Americans use in religious ceremonies. Further distillation creates Mescal (mezcal). A form of tequila is made when Mescal is produced from the blue agave (Agave tequilana) plant within the Tequila region of Mexico. This is the most important economic use of agave, worth millions of dollars to the Mexican economy. Mescal is often sold with the caterpillar of the agave moth in the bottle.

For more information about blue agave, please visit Natural Standard’s Herbs & Supplements Database.

 

 

Comments

[Dexter Otis Grenne]

Since these fructans come from the plant that is used to make tequila, is there any risk of liver damage, or is that possibility only present after the distillation process?

[Vince Gable]

How could manufacturers make drugs more resistant to degradation in the digestive system?

[Anonymous]

I heard that inulin-type fructans also assist in calcium absorption in the body. Inulin-type fructans for those interested is a type of probiotics. Anyone else have more information regarding fructans?

[Cultural relativism]

Why don’t they just put the drugs into a matrix that slows break down in the digestive system?

At any rate, perhaps a rectal route of drug delivery would circumvent this problem? Or, they could bypass the first pass effect of the liver and just inject the drug.

[Ceadda Wilcox]

I would question the motives behind this study- are they just trying to find a new way to market tequila? This reminds me of a story from a few months ago about beer and prostate cancer. The amount of beer/tequila you would have to drink to get the purported health effects voids any potential perks, and actually increases an individual's risk of developing a number of diseases...at least in my opinion. Does anyone have any information to clarify further? Thanks!

[W. Thomas]

Per Ceadda's comment: I think you misconstrued the context of the story. Fructans from the native agave plant, not the Tequila that is made from it, were explored for use as a delivery mechanism for drugs to the intestine. I am sure the fructans and much else in the plant's juices are thoroughly denatured by the process that turns the nectar into a potent alcoholic beverage.

I always wondered what the story was with those macabre little dead worms at the bottom of the Mescal bottles. At least one can assume they died a drunk and painless death!

[Cady B]

As far as delivery routes for medications, you could assume that an injection would aid in delivery, but for a diseases such as Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis (UC), the drug needs to be delivered to the site of the lesion. Unfortunately parenteral formulations (anything IV or intramuscular, or subcutaneous) cannot serve this patient population. There is one drug that only treats the latter end of the colon instead of the whole intestinal tract, which is helpful but only for those who have UC, not Crohns.

As for rectal administration, again, useful only if the patient has lesions in that part of the bowel, mainly the distal colon. Otherwise, the drug is rendered ineffective. This is the unfortunate part about both of those debilitating diseases, they are so difficult to treat.
Bravo for research into getting drugs delivered to the intestinal tract more effectively!

[Lee]

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor! I know this sounds bad, but it may actually help with colon IBS problems! It would make sense that any chemical that prevents the breakdown of a substance and allows that substance to act in the area of concern, colon, will allow for proper healing. I'm not recommending getting trashed on tequila, but there are medications, such as Asacol or Pentasa, that are encoated with a polymer that prevents breakdown of the drug until it hits a certain pH in the body, aka colon. If research found another way to deliver a medication, great!

[Kalyn]

I hope people do not interpret this as a reason to drink more tequila. The article title is misleading.

[Emily P.]

I'll agree that the article title is misleading, to respond to Kalyn. However, I think if one reads the article they will realize that it does not suggest drinking tequila offers a health benefit. It only points out that fructans, the substance used to create an encasing that can carry drugs to target areas without being broken down, comes from the same plant that is used to produce the alcohol.

[MV]

I agree. I can see how people may be confused by the title. The article focuses on the compounds derived from the fruit used to make tequila, not the tequila itself. It is pretty amazing that this naturally occurring substance is so strong against degradation by stomach acids.

[Paul]

This is actually a pretty smart idea I think. If I am reading this right, the fructan matrix is not affected by stomach acid, which is a problem for any drug delivery system. Also, once it reaches the intestine, the normal enzymes should break down the polymerized fructose coating and release the drug. The amount of sugar would be very small, so diabetics shouldn't have to worry, and no alcohol is around because the sugars aren't fermented. It is basically a sugar coated pill, but one that is chemically resistant. This could be a huge boon to those with intestinal problems that need local drug delivery. I hope the research continues with success.

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