HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Accepted manuscript (PDF) All Versions of this Article: JOE-08-0419v1 200/2/159    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lu, S.-S. Articles by Wang, G.-J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lu, S.-S. Articles by Wang, G.-J.

S Lu, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
Y Yu, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
H Zhu, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
X Liu, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
L Liu, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
Y Liu, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
P Wang, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
L Xie, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
G Wang, Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China

Correspondence: Xiao-Dong Liu, Email: lss3965388{at}163.com

Abstract

Berberine (BBR), a hypoglycemic agent, has been shown beneficial metabolic effects for anti-diabetes, but its precise mechanism is unclear. Glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) is considered to be an important incretin that can decrease hyperglycemia in the gastrointestinal tract after meals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether BBR exerts its anti-diabetic effects via modulating GLP-1 secretion. Diabetes-like rats induced by streptozotocin received BBR (120 mg/kg/day, i.g) for 5 weeks. Two hours following the last dose, the rats were anaesthetized and received 2.5g/kg glucose by gavage. At 15-minute and 30-minute following glucose load, blood samples, pancreas, and intestine were obtained for measuring insulin and GLP-1 using ELISA kit. Numbers of L-cells in ileum and beta cells in pancreas were identified using immunohistology. The expression of proglucagon mRNA in the ileum was measured by RT-PCR. The results indicated that BBR treatment significantly increased GLP-1 levels in plasma and intestine (p<0.05) accompanied with the increase of proglucagon mRNA expression and the number of L-cell compared with the controls (p<0.05). Furthermore, BBR increased insulin levels in plasma and pancreas as well as beta-cell number in pancreas. The data support the hypothesis that anti-diabetic effects of BBR may partly result from enhancing GLP-1 secretion.