Berberine improves glucose homeostasis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in association with multiple factors of insulin resistance - PubMed (original) (raw)

Berberine improves glucose homeostasis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in association with multiple factors of insulin resistance

Yanfeng Chen et al. ISRN Endocrinol. 2011.

Abstract

The present study was carried out to determine the effect of berberine on glucose homeostasis and several biomarkers associated with insulin sensitivity in male Wistar rats with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. Rats with fasting blood glucose 16.7 mmol/L after 2 weeks of STZ injection were divided into two groups. One group was used as the diabetic control and another treated by gavage feeding with 100 mg/kg/d of berberine in water containing 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose. A group of rats without receiving STZ was used as the normal control. After 7 weeks, berberine supplementation moderately but significantly lowered fasting blood glucose levels and improved oral glucose tolerance. Berberine lowered plasma free fatty acids and C-reactive protein levels without affecting plasma insulin levels. Diabetic rats treated with berberine showed significantly lower plasma triacylglycerol and cholesterol levels. Furthermore, berberine inhibited dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B activities. In conclusion, berberine showed a dramatic effect of lowering blood cholesterol and triacylglycerols and improved moderately glucose homeostasis in STZ-induced diabetic rats in association with multiple factors related to insulin resistance.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Oral administration of BBR lowered fasting blood glucose levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. NC: normal control; DB: diabetic control; BBR: diabetic rats gavaged with 100 mg/kg/d of berberine chloride dissolved in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose. The DB and NC groups were gavaged with the control vehicle of 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose. Values are means ± S.E.M. (at week 0, n = 10 for all groups; at week 7, n = 10, 8, and 7 for the NC, DB, and BBR, resp.). a, b, c Mean values with different letters were significantly different (P < 0.05).

Figure 2

Figure 2

BBR treatment improved oral glucose tolerance in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. NC: normal control; DB: diabetic control; BBR: diabetic rats gavaged with 100 mg/kg/d of berberine chloride dissolved in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose. The DB and NC groups were gavaged with the control vehicle of 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose. Values are means ± S.E.M. (n = 10, 8, and 7 for the NC, DB, and BBR, resp.). *different from the DB and BBR groups (P < 0.0001), respectively. **different from the DB group (P < 0.05).

Figure 3

Figure 3

Dose response of BBR on DPP-4 (a) and PTP-1B (b) enzyme activities.

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