ABSTRACT
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are highly prevalent diseases and are closely associated, with NAFLD being present in the majority of T2DM patients. In Asian traditional medicine, Mori Cortex is widely used for the treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia. However, whether it has a therapeutic effect on T2DM associated with NAFLD is still unknown. The present study showed that the oral treatment with Mori Cortex extract (MCE; 10 g·kg·d) lowered the blood lipid levels and reversed insulin resistance (IR) in high fat-diet/streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes in rats. The expression levels of sterol receptor element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and carbohydrate-responsive element binding protein (ChREBP), which are involved in steatosis in NAFLD rats, were measured in the liver samples. MCE decreased the protein and mRNA expression levels of SREBP-1c and ChREBP. In conclusion, down-regulation of SREBP-1c and ChREBP might contribute to the protective effect of MCE on hepatic injury and IR in the rats with T2DM associated with NAFLD.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Alanine Transaminase , Blood , Aspartate Aminotransferases , Blood , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors , Genetics , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Blood , Drug Therapy , Metabolism , Diet, High-Fat , Disease Models, Animal , Down-Regulation , Insulin , Blood , Insulin Resistance , Physiology , Lipid Metabolism , Genetics , Liver , Morus , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease , Blood , Drug Therapy , Metabolism , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts , Pharmacology , Therapeutic Uses , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , StreptozocinABSTRACT
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are highly prevalent diseases and are closely associated, with NAFLD being present in the majority of T2DM patients. In Asian traditional medicine, Mori Cortex is widely used for the treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia. However, whether it has a therapeutic effect on T2DM associated with NAFLD is still unknown. The present study showed that the oral treatment with Mori Cortex extract (MCE; 10 g·kg·d) lowered the blood lipid levels and reversed insulin resistance (IR) in high fat-diet/streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes in rats. The expression levels of sterol receptor element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and carbohydrate-responsive element binding protein (ChREBP), which are involved in steatosis in NAFLD rats, were measured in the liver samples. MCE decreased the protein and mRNA expression levels of SREBP-1c and ChREBP. In conclusion, down-regulation of SREBP-1c and ChREBP might contribute to the protective effect of MCE on hepatic injury and IR in the rats with T2DM associated with NAFLD.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Alanine Transaminase , Blood , Aspartate Aminotransferases , Blood , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors , Genetics , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Blood , Drug Therapy , Metabolism , Diet, High-Fat , Disease Models, Animal , Down-Regulation , Insulin , Blood , Insulin Resistance , Physiology , Lipid Metabolism , Genetics , Liver , Morus , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease , Blood , Drug Therapy , Metabolism , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts , Pharmacology , Therapeutic Uses , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , StreptozocinABSTRACT
Hawthorn, also known as dried Crataegus pinnatifida, is a kind of woody plants widely distributed in China. Hawthorn resources including berries, leaves, flowers, and barks, which enrich the bioactive substances, such as flavonoids, triterpenes, sterols, organic acid, sugar, and so on. A lot of studies have found the role of hawthorn for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes and its complications. Till now, hawthorn resources have been used as medicine in clinic. In order to take better advantage of hawthorn resources and explore new diabetic drugs, we review here the recent advances in study on the pharmacological effects of hawthorn resources, i.e. reducing blood glucose, lipid, insulin resistance, oxidant stress, inflammations, and relative vascular complications.