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.

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

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

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 explore the effects of drug-carried serum of the different parts of Portulace olerace on cytokine TNF-alpha and IL-6 secreted by adipose cell in vitro.

METHODModels of adipose cell were established by Rodbell method. Using the method of seropharmacology, the drug-carried serum of the different parts of P. olerace were prepared. The cell viability of each group was tested by. Methy thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the supernatant of cultured adipose cell were assayed by RIA.

RESULTMTT assay results showed the cell viability of normal serum group was significantly higher than that of high lipid serum( P < 0.05). Compared with the high lipid serum group, the cell viability of the drug-carried serum groups in 40% and 20% concentration were significantly increased( P < 0.05). The high lipid serum had a better effect on increasing the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 than the normal serum group (P < 0.01). Expect the drug-carried serum of P. olerace low dose group in 20% concentration, each drug-carried serum group could markedly lower the levels of TNF-alpha (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Each drug-carried serum group in 40% concentration and the drug-carried serum P. olerace MS high dose group in 20% concentration could markedly lower the levels of IL-6 (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe drug-carried serum of P. olerace and its different parts act on adipose cell damaged by the high lipid serum, significantly increas the cell viability in the groups in 40% and 20% concentration, and improve the disorder of lipid in differeut degrel by lowering the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6 that adipose cell secreted in vitro.

Adipocytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Flavones ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Portulaca ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Serum ; physiology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of berberine on the pancreatic 13 cell apoptosis in rats with insulin resistance (IR).

METHODSIR Wistar rat model was established by feeding with high fructose diet. After 6-week treatment of berberine, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed. Then fasting insulin level (Fins) was detected and insulin sensitivity index (ISI) calculated. The islet was isolated and purified. The pancreatic p3 cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay (TUNEL). The apoptosis-related protein ASK1 and Caspase-12 expressions were examined by immunohistochemical assay.

RESULTSCompared with the normal group, the blood glucose at 0 and 1 h increased, the Fins increased and ISI decreased, the blood lipids were disarranged, the pancreatic beta cell apoptosis increased, and ASK1 and Caspase-12 protein expressions increased in IR rats. Compared with the model group, the blood glucose at 0 and 1 h and the Fins decreased, ISI increased, the disarranged blood lipids were improved, the pancreatic beta cell apoptosis decreased, and the ASK1 expression decreased, but with no obvious change in the Caspase-12 expressions in the berberine group.

CONCLUSIONSBerberine could alleviate IR state in IR rats and inhibit pancreatic 13 cell apoptosis. Its mechanism might be correlated with the inhibition of ASK1 protein expressions.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Berberine ; pharmacology ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Caspase 12 ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 5 ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar