Anti-Diabetic Effects of TongGuanWan, a Chinese Traditional Herbal Formula, in C57BL/KsJ-db/db Mice

Abstract

In the present study, the anti-diabetic effects of a traditional Chinese medicinal formula extract, TongGuanWan, were investigated in type 2 diabetic animals. It was orally administered to C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice once a day for 4 weeks at the doses of 62, 125, and 250 mg/kg body weight. TongGuanWan significantly lowered the blood glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin levels as well as improved the glucose tolerance in db/db mice. The serum triglyceride levels in the db/db mice were significantly decreased, whereas the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly increased, after treatment with this herbal formula. TongGuanWan also markedly decreased the animals' body weights compared to those of the control db/db group but did not alter food intake. The effects of TongGuanWan were compared to those of the drug rosiglitazone. In addition, five main constituents of TongGuanWan, mangiferin, berberine, cinnamic aldehyde, timosaponin BII, and timosaponin AIII, were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array and an evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-DAD-ELSD). These results suggest that TongGuanWan may be useful for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Mango leaf extract improves central pathology and cognitive impairment in a type 2 diabetes mouse model

“…Metabolic assessment revealed that MGF treatment limited body weight gain. While we cannot point toward a single phenolic compound, responsible for observed beneficial effects, previous studies have shown that mangiferin may control glucose levels in high fat diet treated mice (1), and mangiferin extracts or derivatives also reduce glycemia in db/db mice (21,53). In our hands, glucose levels were not significantly affected by MGF treatment.…”

“…Natural polyphenols, and concretely Mangifera Indica Linn extract has been shown to have antioxidant, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities [for review see (33,54)]. While we cannot point toward a single phenolic compound, responsible for observed beneficial effects, previous studies have shown that mangiferin may control glucose levels in high fat diet treated mice (1), and mangiferin extracts or derivatives also reduce glycemia in db/db mice (21,53). Also, no evidence of adverse side effects, at estimated dietary intake levels, have been reported for phenolic compounds in our extract [(44), for review (22,54)], and we did not detect any obvious differences in treated animals.…”

Identification and Verification of Potential Therapeutic Target Genes in Berberine-Treated Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats through Bioinformatics Analysis

“…These results suggest that berberine exerts its anti-diabetic effect in ZDF rats by moderating the diabetic metabolism. These results are similar to those obtained in previous studies [7,16,17,18,19]. The administered dosage (300mg/kg) of berberine was determined according to the equation used for the adult maximal dosage in the clinic [7].…”

Timosaponin A-III reverses multi-drug resistance in human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells via downregulation of MDR1 and MRP1 expression by inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

“…Rhizoma Anemarrhenae (Zhimu in Chinese), a wellknown traditional Chinese medicinal herb, which is officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, has been effectively used for febrile diseases in oriental clinical practices. Timosaponin A-III (TAIII), a steroidal saponin isolated from the rhizomes of Anemarrhena asphodeloides (AA), has been credited with a wide spectrum of bioactivities, including improving learning and memory (16), inhibiting inflammation (17), suppressing allergic reaction (18), controlling hyperglycemic (19,20), activating autophagy (21) and inducing cancer cells apoptosis (22)(23)(24). However, the ability of TAIII to reverse MDR has not been reported.…”