title: Berberine as a therapy for type 2 diabetes and its complications: From mechanism of action to clinical studies.
abstract: The incidence of type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly worldwide, and the development of novel anti-diabetic drugs is emerging. However, most anti-diabetic drugs cannot be used in patients with hepatic dysfunction, renal disease, and heart disease, which makes pharmacological therapy of type 2 diabetes complicated. Despite continued introduction of novel agents, the search for an ideal drug that is useful as both a hypoglycemic agent and to reduce diabetes-related complications remains elusive. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid extract that has shown promise as a hypoglycemic agent in the management of diabetes in animal and human studies. Mechanistic studies have revealed beneficial effects of berberine on diabetes-related complications. Although there have been few clinical reports of the anti-diabetic effects of berberine, little documentation of adverse effects in humans positions it as a potential candidate drug to treat type 2 diabetes. In the present review, the anti-diabetic mechanism of berberine, its effect on diabetes-related complications, and its recent use in human clinical studies is highlighted. In addition, we summarize the different treatments for type 2 diabetes in adults and children.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Manitoba Institute of Child Health, 501C John Buhler Research Center, 715 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0P4, Canada.
authors.forename: Wenguang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: b Department of Pharmacology, Norman Bethune Medical College, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Manitoba Institute of Child Health, 501C John Buhler Research Center, 715 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0P4, Canada.|c Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, DREAM Theme, Manitoba Institute of Child Health, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6, Canada.
authors.forename: Grant M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Hatch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001599:Berberine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D001599:Berberine
keywords: adenosine-5′-monophosphate kinase; adults; berberine; berbérine; children; complications; diabète sucré de type 2; drug; enfants; hypoglycemic; hypoglycémiant; metabolism; médicament; métabolisme; type 2 diabetes mellitus