The Antihyperglycaemic Activity of Berberine Arises from a Decrease of Glucose Absorption (original) (raw)

Planta Med 2003; 69(7): 632-636
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-41121

Original Paper

Pharmacology
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Guo-Yu Pan1 , Zhi-Jiang Huang1 , Guang-Ji Wang1 , J. Paul Fawcett2 , Xiao-Dong Liu1 , Xiao-Chen Zhao1 , Jian-Guo Sun1 , Yuan-Yuan Xie1

• 1Center of Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
• 2School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Further Information

Publication History

Received: November 25, 2002

Accepted: March 29, 2003

Publication Date:
04 August 2003 (online)

• Abstract
• Full Text
• References

Abstract

The mechanism of action of berberine as an antihyperglycaemic agent was investigated in the Caco-2 cell line. Berberine was found to effectively inhibit the activity of disaccharidases in Caco-2 cells. It also decreased sucrase activity after preincubation with Caco-2 cells for 72 hours. However gluconeogenesis and glucose consumption of Caco-2 cells were not influenced. 2-Deoxyglucose transporting through Caco-2 cell monolayers was decreased by berberine but the effect was not statistically significant. These results suggest that the antihyperglycaemic activity of berberine is at least partly due to its ability to inhibit α-glucosidase and decrease glucose transport through the intestinal epithelium.

Key words

Berberine - Caco-2 cells - alpha-glucosidase inhibitor - diabetes

References

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Guang-Ji Wang

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