Diabetes is seriously hazards to human health and its pathogeneses are not clear. Recent studies show that the imbalance of intestinal flora and the development of diabetes are closely related. Appropriate bacteria can improve blood sugar disorder. Treating diabetes from the theory of Pi-Wei is effective. Regulating intestinal flora has become a new pathway for treating diabetes from the theory of Pi-Wei. On the basis of intestinal flora, authors discussed the treatment of diabetes from Pi and Wei.
Bacteria ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; microbiology ; therapy ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans

Objective To investigate the effect of berberine on insulin resistance induced by free fatty acid in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and the possible molecular mechanism.Methods 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with 0.5 mmol/L palmitic acid to induce insulin resistance.Berberine was used for treatment and aspirin for positive control.Glucose oxidase method was employed for measuring the glucose consumption in the medium and 2-deoxy- [~3H]-D-glucose method was used for the determination of glucose uptake.Western blot was used for the determination of IKB kinase(IKK)?SerlS1 phosphorylation,insulin receptor substrance-1(IRS-1)Ser307 phosphorylation,the protein expression of IKK?,IRS-1,phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI-3K)p85 and glucose transporter 4(Glut4).Results After the treatment with 0. 5 mmol/L of palmitic acid for 24 h,glucose consumption by 3T3-L1 adipocytes was decreased by 41%,insulin-stimulated glucose transport was inhibited by 67%,IRS-1 and PI-3K p85 proteins were reduced, and phosphorylations of IKK?Ser181 and IRS-1 Ser307 were induced.The above results were reversed by adding berberine or aspirin.But Glut4 and IKK?protein abundance was not changed during this study.Conclusion Berberine significantly improves insulin resistance induced by free fatty acid in 3T3-L1 adipocytes via inhibiting IKK?serine phosphorylation.

Anti-Infective Agents ; pharmacology ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy ; Research Design

Adult ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Yang Deficiency ; diagnosis ; Yin Deficiency ; diagnosis

In this study, the rat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) model was established through tail vein injection with low dose of streptozotocin (STZ) and high fat diet for 8 weeks, and then treated with Jiaotai Pill. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting serum insulin (FINS), free fatty acid(FFA) levels and blood lipid were assayed. HOMA-IR was calculated. Pancreatic pathology was performed. And pancreatic triglyceride (TG) content was examined by the lipid extraction method. Pancreatic islet cell apoptosis were detected by terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). According to the results, the model group showed abnormal OGTT, increased FINS, HOMA-IR, FFA, lipid disorder, obvious fat accumulation and significantly increased TG content in pancreatic tissues, and enhanced pancreatic islet cell apoptosis. Compared with the model group, the Jiaotai Pill group displayed improved OGTT, reduced FINS, HOMA-IR, FFA, recovered lipid disorder, decreased fat accumulation and significantly declined TG content in pancreatic tissues, and lowered pancreatic islet cell apoptosis. In summary, Jiaotai pill could effectively treat type 2 diabetes in rats. Its mechanism may be related to the reduction in pancreatic fat accumulation and islet cell apoptosis.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Fats ; metabolism ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Islets of Langerhans ; cytology ; drug effects ; Male ; Pancreas ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

The identification of the etiology and pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus in TCM viewpoint is directly related with the syndrome differentiation and therapeutic methods. According to the traditional view, the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus was considered as founding on yin deficiency, with dry heat in the superficiality, therefore the basic therapeutic methods should be supplementing qi and nourishing yin. However, its efficacy in clinical practice was unsatisfactory. In order to establish the efficient therapeutic approaches, the author strongly recommended that physician should get the insight into the pathogenesis and syndromes of the illness and handle the yin-yang equilibrium, pay attention to not only the qi and yin deficiency, but also the yang deficiency, and further, the inner barbaric glucose-toxicity, which not only existed at the late stage, but also showed some cues in the initiative stage. Therefore, the author emphasized that in treating diabetes mellitus, besides the basic treatment for supplementing qi and nourishing yin, one should pay great attention to removing toxin and intensifying yang to achieve yin-yang equilibrium.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy ; Qi ; Yin-Yang

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic effect of emodin on nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) induced by high fat diet in rats.

METHODSNAFL model was established by feeding with high fat diet for 12 weeks in 40 SD rats, confirmed by liver pathologic examination, which were randomly divided into 5 groups: the model control group the mere dietary treatment group (both with distilled water by gastrgarege), the low, moderate and high dose emodin groups treated with emodin 20,40 and 80 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) once per day respectively. Meanwhile a normal control group was used. The model control group was still fed with high fat diet while the other groups with normal diet. After 4 weeks, body weight, liver index (liver weight/body weight), hepatic function, blood lipid, hepatic lipid and histologic changes were assayed.

RESULTSIn the model control group,body weight, liver index, hepatic enzyme activities, serum lipid and hepatic triglyceride increased significantly (P <0. 05, or P <0. 01), serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol( HDL-C)decreased (P <0.01 ), and moderate to severe hepatocyte steatosis was observed, while these indexes were all improved significantly in the 3 emodin groups; hepatic histologic changes were improved in the mere dietary treatment group, however, high level of ALT and hyperlipidemia persisted.

CONCLUSIONEmodin combined with dietary therapy is effective for NAFL rats induced by high fat diet.

Animals ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Dietary Fats ; toxicity ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Emodin ; therapeutic use ; Fatty Liver ; diet therapy ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Chinese herbal medicine has developed new therapies for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) based on its unique theory system and substantial herb remedies. In this review, 21 traditional Chinese herbs were introduced for their potential benefit in the treatment of NAFLD. Majority of them are evaluated by experimental studies and few by multicenter clinical trials. Herbal monomers as berberine and resveratrol, extracts from Polygonum hypoleucum Ohwi, and Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb., and formulae including Yinchenhao Decoction (, YCHD), Qushi Huayu Decoction (, QSHYD), and Danning Tablet () were discussed in detail on their therapeutic potentials. Most of these herbal medicines were proved to improve biochemical and histological changes of NAFLD both in vitro and in vivo. Also, their therapeutic activities were associated with inhibiting lipid accumulation through adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase activation or upregulating low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) expression, alleviating lipid peroxidation, and reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines. Although the efficacy and safety of these herbal medicines needed to be evaluated in multicenter large-scale clinical trials, Chinese medicine is promising and effective for preventing and treating NAFLD disease.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Fatty Liver ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Plant Extracts ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effects of Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (HLJD) on the oxidative damage of liver mitochondria in insulin resistant rats and to explore its possible mechanism.

METHODSMale Wistar rats were fed with high-fat diet to set up an insulin resistant model, and randomly divided into four groups, the control group and three test groups intervened respectively with HLJD, berberine, and thioctic acid for 6 weeks. The liver mitochondrial function and energy metabolic capability were assayed by measuring the activities of ATPase, succinic dehydrogenase (SDH), cytochrome oxidase (CCO) and the content of ATP in liver tissue. The anti-oxidation capability of liver mitochondria was determined by measuring the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA).

RESULTSHLJD showed the effect in improving the activities of GSH-Px, SOD and ATPase, inhibiting the production of MDA, promoting the energy metabolism and strengthening the activities of SDH and CCO in liver tissue of insulin resistant rats.

CONCLUSIONHLJD could improve the liver mitochondria function and energy metabolism, strengthen the mitochondrial anti-oxidation capacity, and showed evidently protective effect on liver mitochondrial damage in insulin resistant rats. The mechanism might be correlated with its scavenging action on oxygen radicals and inhibition on lipid-peroxidation.

Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Insulin ; metabolism ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Mitochondria, Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Jiaotai Pill (JTP) and its single components on ectopic fat accumulation in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODSThe T2DM model of rat was established by injection of streptozotocin from tail vein and high fat-caloric diet feeding. Model rats were randomly divided into the model group and four treated groups were treated respectively with JTP and its single components, Rhizoma Coptidis, Cinnamon and metformin, via gastric perfusion. Meanwhile, a normal control group was also set up. Body weight (BW), liver index (LI), levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting serum insulin (FINS) and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), plasma activities of liver associated enzymes (LAE), triglyceride (TG) contents and pathological changes of liver, heart and muscle were determined before and after a 8-week treatment.

RESULTSAs compared with the normal rats, BW, LI, LAE activities, HOMA-IR, TG contents of the liver, heart and muscle were all increased in the model rats (P<0.05 or P<0.01), with pathologic appearance of fatty degeneration in different degrees. Compared with the model group, LI, LAE, HOMA-IR, and TG contents in the liver, heart and muscle tissues were decreased in different extents in the four treated groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the histology of tissues in them was restored to near normal. Compared with the metformin treated group, the hepatic and muscular TG contents decreased in the JTP treated group (P<0.01), and the muscular TG content in the Rhizoma Coptidis treated group were lower (P<0.05). And the gamma-GT level in the JTP treated group was the lowest in the three Chinese drugs treated groups (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe disturbances of glucose and lipid metabolism and abnormality of liver function in T2DM rats could be improved by JTP and its single components. The mechanism might be related to their effects in improving insulin resistance and reducing ectopic fat accumulation.

Adiposity ; drug effects ; Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; pathology ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects ; Liver ; pathology ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; Phytotherapy ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar