Berberine
CAS No.: 2086-83-1
Molecular formula: C20H18NO4+
Molecular weight: 336.36
PSA: 3.24000
LogP: 3.28000
Physical and chemical properties
Density: 1.17g/cm3
Melting point: 204-205ºC
Boiling point: 486.8ºC
Refractive index: 1.662
Vapor pressure: 3.41E-05mmHg at 25°C
Appearance: Yellow needle-like crystals
Solubility: soluble
Clinical Research
Lipid-lowering research
Scientists and clinicians in China have teamed up to uncover the mystery of berberine (safranin) in lowering blood cholesterol and triglycerides at the molecular level. The research results were recently published in NatureMedicine, an authoritative journal in the world, and were highly valued and evaluated by international colleagues. This is an important event in the discovery of the treasures of Chinese medicine, marking that Chinese natural drug research is gradually gaining world-leading achievements.
With the strong support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the group led by Dr. Jiang Jiandong, Director of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, has conducted systematic research on the pharmacological effects, efficacy and molecular mechanism of berberine in lowering blood cholesterol and triglycerides from multiple levels and perspectives, including gene sequence, cellular and animal experiments, and clinical treatment, after years of research. They found that berberine lowers blood lipids at the post-transcriptional level of genes by acting on the mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) that stabilizes the LDL receptor in the 3'UTR region, which is completely different from the mechanism of action of the statin lipid-lowering drugs currently in use. This theoretically provides a new molecular target for the search of novel lipid-lowering drugs.
Clinical studies have shown that oral administration of berberine (1 g daily for three months) can reduce cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides by 20% to 35% in hyperlipidemic patients, a result further confirmed by animal experiments in a golden hamster model of hyperlipidemia. Dr. Wei Jing, the backbone of the group and the First Hospital of Nanjing, and Dr. Jingwen Liu, a Chinese-American scientist from the Rongjun Hospital in Paralto, California, both said that berberine may become an alternative to statins and is expected to be used in combination with statins for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Treating diabetes
According to a report in the August issue of the journal Diabetes, results of studies in rats suggest that berberine, derived from plants, may reduce body weight and improve glucose tolerance by stimulating adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase activity. Dr. JaeB. Kim of Seoul National University in Korea and his colleagues write that preliminary work has shown that berberine, one of the important components of the oriental materia medica, has positive effects on obesity and diabetes. To further investigate, the researchers gave berberine to obese and diabetic mice, and as a result, some mice lost weight and had significantly improved glucose tolerance without changing their diet.
In addition, berberine also reduced body weight and plasma triglycerides and improved insulin activity in Wistar mice on a high-fat diet. Further experiments showed that berberine activated AMP kinase in adipocytes and myocytes, inducing different metabolic effects related to its activity.
The investigators claim that berberine is effective in increasing fat burning and, at the same time, reducing fat synthesis.
Diabetes treatment
According to a report in the August issue of the journal Diabetes, the results of a study on rats suggest that berberine, derived from plants, may reduce body weight and improve glucose tolerance by stimulating adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase activity. Dr. JaeB. Kim of Seoul National University in Korea and his colleagues write that preliminary work has shown that berberine, one of the important components of the oriental materia medica, has positive effects on obesity and diabetes. To further investigate, the researchers gave berberine to obese and diabetic mice, and as a result, these mice lost weight and had significantly improved glucose tolerance without changing their diet.
In addition, berberine reduced body weight and plasma triglycerides and improved insulin activity in Wistar mice on a high-fat diet. Further experiments showed that berberine activated AMP kinase in adipocytes and myocytes, inducing different metabolic effects related to its activity.
Regulation of blood lipids
The natural pharmaceutical ingredient berberine is not only used in the treatment of bacterial dysentery, but has also been found to have a lipid-regulating effect. This comprehensive research project led by the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, "Basic and clinical research on berberine for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and the development of analogues or prodrugs" was recently awarded the first prize of the 7th Debiou-CCRF China Award. The research was recently awarded the first prize of the 7th Debiu-CCRF China Award. Berberine, the active chemical monomer of the plant drug Huanglian, has been used in China for a long time, mainly as an over-the-counter drug for the treatment of bacterial dysentery. In the work of the research group and the participating units, we found that berberine significantly up-regulated the expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in hepatocytes in vitro. Further studies showed that berberine acts at the post-transcriptional level by activating extracellular signal-regulated kinases in cells, which is a completely different mechanism from that of statin cholesterol-lowering drugs currently in clinical use. Clinical applications have shown that berberine is effective in the treatment of patients with hyperlipidemia and is also suitable for patients with hepatic dysfunction, with good safety profile and without the adverse effects of statins. The results of this study were published and confirmed by many research units and hospitals in Europe and the United States, and were accepted and well received by patients at home and abroad, making berberine a very promising lipid-lowering drug.
Experts from the project team said that the rediscovery of this new action of the drug has given a whole new meaning and value to the traditional Chinese drug berberine. Currently, work on berberine is in progress and further focus on the newly modified optimizers to explore breakthroughs in theory and application in this field.
Company Introduction
Address: Room 202, Building B8, Huanchuang Enterprise Square, Lugu Street, Yuelu District, Changsha City, Hunan Province
Website: http://www.staherb.com/
Business scope: Biotechnology, research and development of plant extracts (can be used in the field of pharmaceutical and health products, cosmetics, feed additives and biological pesticide production and development)
Main products: Eucommia extract - chlorogenic acid (5%-98%), ursolic acid (25%-98%), corosolic acid (1%-98%), bitter amygdalin (50%-98%), epimedoside (10%-98%) and other standardized high-purity plant extracts.
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