Sodium glucose simulators are proteins that participate in secondary active transport within epithelial cells. This type of protein can be located in the cell membrane and has the function of transporting glucose and sodium into cells simultaneously. These proteins are directly dependent on Na+/K+ pumps, as they use the free energy released by them to efficiently transport sodium and glucose. For this reason, we can conclude that if a plant's chemicals inhibit the Na+/K+ pump, glucose and sodium concentrations will decrease because the proteins responsible for their transport into the cell will be weakened by a lack of energy.
The species is on CITES Appendix II, but its status is poorly known. The IUCN Red-List (2007, www.iucnredlist.org) classified it as Lower Risk/Least Concern
