In vitro antidiabetic activities of five medicinal herbs used in Chinese medicinal formulae

Abstract

Fructus Corni, Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis, Poria, Rhizoma Alismatis and Rhizoma Dioscoreae are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine for diabetes treatment. They are also the component herbs of an antidiabetic foot ulcer formula with demonstrated clinical efficacy. Although some of these herbal extracts were previously shown to possess in vivo antidiabetic effects (i.e. lowering blood glucose levels), the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The objective of this study is to investigate the possible antidiabetic mechanisms of these individual herbs, using a systematic study platform which includes four in vitro tissue models: glucose absorption into intestinal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV), gluconeogenesis by rat hepatoma cell line H4IIE, glucose uptake by human skin fibroblasts cell line Hs68 and mouse adipocytes 3T3-L1. All tested herbs showed significant in vitro antidiabetic effects in at least two models. Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis, Poria, Rhizoma Alismatis and Rhizoma Dioscoreae showed significant inhibitory effects in the BBMV glucose uptake assay. All tested herbs showed significant stimulatory effects to the glucose uptake of Hs68 and 3T3-L1 cells, except Poria and Rhizoma Dioscoreae which were not effective to Hs68 and 3T3-L1 respectively. However, none of the tested herbs inhibited hepatic gluconeogenesis. In conclusion, the five herbs exhibited distinct antidiabetic mechanisms in vitro and hence our investigations provided scientific evidence to support the traditional usage of these herbs for diabetic treatment in medicinal formulae.

The lignan-rich fractions of Fructus Schisandrae improve insulin sensitivity via the PPAR-γ pathways in in vitro and in vivo studies

“…3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation, triglyceride accumulation and PPAR-agonist activity PPAR-␥ agonists are insulin sensitizers that increase triacylglycerol storage in adipose tissues by increasing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (Lau et al, 2008). FS-60 dose-dependently increased differentiation and triglyceride accumulation in comparison to the vehicle-treated control during treatment for 10 days in 3T3-L1 adipocytes ( Fig.…”

“…Baillon, is traditionally used as a tonic, sedative and anti-diabetic agent in Asia (Huang et al, 2007;Lau et al, 2008). At the beginning of the 1970s, researchers reported that Fructus Schisandrae is effective for treating viral and chemical hepatitis, lowering elevated serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase levels, and for increasing hepatic glycogen accumulation and decreasing hepatic triglycerides.…”

Red Ginseng Root Extract Mixed with Torilus Fructus and Corni Fructus Improves Facial Wrinkles and Increases Type I Procollagen Synthesis in Human Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

“…Corni fructus is commonly used in traditional Oriental medicine for treatment of diabetes and diabetic foot ulcer. 37 However, no anti-aging properties or effects on collagen synthesis have been reported for Corni fructus or Torilus fructus. The present study is the first long-term randomized controlled trial exploring the beneficial effects of red ginseng on photoaged human skin.…”

The Beneficial Effects of Combined Grape Pomace and Omija Fruit Extracts on Hyperglycemia, Adiposity and Hepatic Steatosis in db/db Mice: A Comparison with Major Index Compounds

“…In grapes, grape pomace was shown to reduce fasting plasma glucose, insulin and triglyceride levels in growing Sprague-Dawley rats [5]. As another blood glucose controller, omija ( Schisandra chinensis Baillon), a traditional Chinese alternative medicine, has been used as an anti-diabetic agent in Asia [6]. …”