The Effects and Mechanism of Saponins of Panax notoginseng on Glucose Metabolism in 3T3-L1 Cells

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effect of saponins of Panax notoginseng (SPN), a naturally occurring cardiovascular agent, on: (1) glucose uptake, (2) GLUT4 translocation and (3) glycogen synthesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Electrospray ionization-Mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to determine the structural characterization of the major active components of SPN. 3T3-L1 adipocytes were cultured and treated with 100 nM insulin alone or with 10, 50 and 100 microg/ml of SPN. [(3)H]2-deoxyglucose glucose uptake, GLUT4 immunofluorescence imaging and glycogen synthesis assay were carried out to determine the effects of SPN on glucose metabolism. Under insulin stimulation, SPN significantly increased glucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner; 50 microg/ml of SPN increased glucose uptake by 64% (p < 0.001). Immunofluorescence imaging and analysis have revealed that 50 and 100 microg/ml of SPN increased GLUT4 in the plasma membrane by 3-fold and 6-fold respectively (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the incorporation of D-[U-(14)C] glucose into glycogen was enhanced by 53% in 3T3-L1 cells treated with 100 microg/ml of SPN (p < 0.01 vs. insulin stimulation alone). SPN, a naturally occurring agent used to treat ischemic cardio-cerebral vascular disease in China, enhanced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in adipocytes. The results of this study indicate that SPN may have a therapeutic potential for hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes.

Panax notoginseng saponins attenuate atherosclerosis via reciprocal regulation of lipid metabolism and inflammation by inducing liver X receptor alpha expression

“…The potential toxic effect on cell viability from PNS treatment (0, 25, 50, 100 mg/L) was examined by the MTT method in 96 well cell culture clusters (Costar) as described previously (Xia et al, 2005). The dose 25-100 mg/L (PNS) was selected based on the previous studies Kim et al, 2009; with 20-80 mg/L, 10-100 mg/L and 10-100 mg/L respectively.…”

Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Ginsenoside Metabolites in Human Plasma

“…F.H. Chen or notoginseng, and Panax quinquefolius L. or American ginseng (Christensen, 2009; Kim et al , 2009; Taira et al , 2010; Qi et al , 2011b). Compared to the long history of use and the copious amount of research on Asian ginseng and notoginseng (Ang-Lee et al , 2001; Ng, 2006; Lin et al , 2010), studies of American ginseng, especially in humans, are limited (Yuan et al , 2004).…”

Inhibitory Effect of Pomegranate on Intestinal Sodium Dependent Glucose Uptake

“…Thus, one of the effective strategies for managing diabetes is to inhibit the glucose uptake in the intestines to control the blood glucose level in the postprandial state. However, substances which inhibit intestinal glucose uptake/transport have not been well studied, except that glucose uptake inhibition by polyphenolic compounds (Debnam and Sharp, 1993;Kobayashi et al, 2000;Cermak et al, 2004;Johnston et al, 2005) and saponins (Murakami et al, 1996;Yoshikawa et al, 1997;Kim et al, 2009).…”