Abstract
Berberine (BBR), an isoquinoline alkaloid that derived from the Chinese medicinal plant Coptis chinensis, has been identified with multiple pharmacological activities, including regulating glucose and cholesterol levels, anti-obesity effects and anti-diabetic effects. Due to its multiple activities, BBR and its metabolites have drawn great attention in biomedical research and clinical practices. After the recent re-discovery of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans, stimulating energy-dissipating via BAT activation and white-to-brown adipose tissue conversion have been regarded as potential therapeutic strategies for obesity and diabetes. Recent studies have demonstrated the activities of BBR in the activation of BAT and white-to-brown adipose tissue conversion, showing significant effectiveness in the treatment of diabetes. This review has summarized current studies that focused on the effect of BBR in the treatment of metabolic syndrome, especially in regulating BAT activities. Besides, the potential and molecular mechanisms of BBR in treating other risk factors of metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, are also reviewed, showing the great potential of BBR in treating the metabolic syndrome systematically.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | AJTR0076780 |
Pages (from-to) | 3322-3329 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | American Journal of Translational Research |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 11 |
State | Published - 2018 |
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 81701664], the Technology Innovation Program in Southwest Hospital (SWH-2016JCYB-30).
Keywords
- Berberine
- Brown adipose tissue
- Metabolic syndrome
- Obesity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Medicine
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Cancer Research