Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuokuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan, ROC.
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuokuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan, ROC.
Food Chem. 2012 May 1;132(1):252-60. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.10.065. Epub 2011 Oct 28.
Diabetes may cause apoptosis in pancreatic islets. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid used for its pharmacological functions including anti-inflammation. However, the berberine effect on pancreatic islets is still not clear. This study is aimed at clarifying the protective mechanism in berberine against islet cell apoptosis. This study established in vitro experimental models using streptozotocin (STZ)-treated primary pancreatic islet cells from ICR mice to unravel the protective mechanism of berberine on islets. The Bax/Bcl-2 (pro-/anti-apoptotic) genes expression in the islets was determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. The results showed that berberine administration at one time or before STZ-stimulation significantly (P<0.05) down-regulated the Bax/Bcl-2 genes expression ratio, compared to those in STZ-treatment alone group. Our results suggest that berberine's anti-apoptotic effect on pancreatic primary islets is through down-regulating the Bax/Bcl-2 genes expression ratio in both concurrent and preventive manners.
糖尿病可能导致胰岛细胞凋亡。小檗碱是一种异喹啉生物碱，具有抗炎等药理作用。然而，小檗碱对胰岛的作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在阐明小檗碱对胰岛细胞凋亡的保护机制。本研究采用链脲佐菌素（STZ）处理 ICR 小鼠原代胰岛细胞建立体外实验模型，以揭示小檗碱对胰岛的保护机制。采用实时定量聚合酶链反应检测胰岛中 Bax/Bcl-2（促凋亡/抗凋亡）基因的表达。结果表明，与 STZ 单独处理组相比，小檗碱单次给药或 STZ 刺激前给药均显著（P<0.05）下调 Bax/Bcl-2 基因表达比值。我们的结果表明，小檗碱对胰腺原代胰岛的抗凋亡作用是通过下调 Bax/Bcl-2 基因表达比值来实现的，无论是同时给药还是预防给药。
