Modulating gut microbiota as an anti-diabetic mechanism of berberine
Open Access
- 1 January 2011
- journal article
- review article
- Published by International Scientific Information, Inc. in Medical Science Monitor
- Vol. 17 (7), RA164-RA167
- https://doi.org/10.12659/msm.881842
Abstract
Berberine, one of the main constituents of a Chinese traditional herb used to treat bacterial diarrhea, has an effect of lowering glucose, which has been recently confirmed by many studies. However, the mechanism of berberine’s antidiabetic effect has not yet been well explained. Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiota composition is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are closely associated with a low-grade inflammatory state. The protective effect against diabetes of gut microbiota modulation with probiotics or antibiotics has been confirmed in recent observations. Berberine has significant antimicrobial activity against several microbes through inhibiting the assembly function of FtsZ and halting the bacteria cell division. Because berberine acts topically in the gastrointestinal tract and it is poorly absorbed, berberine might modulate gut microbiota without systemic anti-infective activity. Our hypothesis is that gut microbiota modulation may be one mechanism of the antidiabetic effect of berberine. Our hypothesis may provide a novel explanation for berberine’s therapeutic effect in patients with diabetes mellitus.This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Gut Microbiota in Human Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Differs from Non-Diabetic AdultsPLOS ONE, 2010
- Antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effect of Berberis aristata root extract and its role in regulating carbohydrate metabolism in diabetic ratsJournal of Ethnopharmacology, 2009
- Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia with the Natural Plant Alkaloid BerberineJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2008
- Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitusMetabolism, 2008
- Berberine improves glucose metabolism through induction of glycolysisAmerican Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2008
- Human gut microbes associated with obesityNature, 2006
- Inflammation and metabolic disordersNature, 2006
- An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvestNature, 2006
- Obesity alters gut microbial ecologyProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2005
- Randomized Controlled Trial of Berberine Sulfate Therapy for Diarrhea Due to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio choleraeThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1987