School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
Arch Pharm Res. 2018 Aug;41(8):785-796. doi: 10.1007/s12272-018-1047-x. Epub 2018 Jul 6.
Diabetes mellitus is globally approaching epidemic proportions and acts as a major cause of a number of serious health problems diagnosed as diabetic complications. The current oral drugs in the treatment of diabetes and its complications could meet some but not all of the patients' needs, and the development of novel drugs with a hypoglycemic effect is urgently required. Silibinin, a flavonolignan traditionally used for the treatment of gallbladder and hepatic diseases, was reported to improve glycemic homeostasis by improving the activity of pancreatic β-cells, increasing insulin sensitivity of liver and muscle cells, and decreasing lipid deposition in adipocytes. Researches also indicated the effectiveness of silibinin in controlling several diabetic complications including neuropathy, retinopathy, impaired healing, hepatopathy, cardiomyopathy, nephropathy, and osteoporosis. In this review, we summarize the recent anti-diabetes findings of silibinin and clarify the underlying pharmacological mechanisms, and update the knowledge in understanding the role of silibinin in control of diabetic complications.
糖尿病在全球范围内呈流行趋势，是多种严重健康问题（如糖尿病并发症）的主要病因。目前用于治疗糖尿病及其并发症的口服药物能够满足部分患者的需求，但无法满足所有患者的需求，因此急需开发具有降血糖作用的新型药物。水飞蓟素是一种传统的用于治疗胆囊和肝脏疾病的类黄酮木脂素，据报道，它可以通过改善胰腺β细胞的活性、提高肝脏和肌肉细胞的胰岛素敏感性以及减少脂肪细胞中的脂质沉积来改善血糖稳态。研究还表明，水飞蓟素在控制多种糖尿病并发症方面具有有效性，包括神经病变、视网膜病变、愈合障碍、肝病、心肌病、肾病和骨质疏松症。在这篇综述中，我们总结了水飞蓟素在抗糖尿病方面的最新研究发现，并阐明了其潜在的药理学机制，更新了我们对水飞蓟素在控制糖尿病并发症方面作用的认识。
