scholarly journals Berberine, a Natural Plant Product, Activates AMP-Activated Protein Kinase With Beneficial Metabolic Effects in Diabetic and Insulin-Resistant States

Diabetes ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 2256-2264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. S. Lee ◽  
W. S. Kim ◽  
K. H. Kim ◽  
M. J. Yoon ◽  
H. J. Cho ◽  
...  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Kezic ◽  
Ljiljana Popovic ◽  
Katarina Lalic

mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) protein kinase acts as a central integrator of nutrient signaling pathways. Besides the immunosuppressive role after solid organ transplantations or in the treatment of some cancers, another promising role of mTOR inhibitor as an antiaging therapeutic has emerged in the recent years. Acute or intermittent rapamycin treatment has some resemblance to calorie restriction in metabolic effects such as an increased insulin sensitivity. However, the chronic inhibition of mTOR by macrolide rapamycin or other rapalogs has been associated with glucose intolerance and insulin resistance and may even provoke type II diabetes. These metabolic adverse effects limit the use of mTOR inhibitors. Metformin is a widely used drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes which activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), acting as calorie restriction mimetic. In addition to the glucose-lowering effect resulting from the decreased hepatic glucose production and increased glucose utilization, metformin induces fatty acid oxidations. Here, we review the recent advances in our understanding of the metabolic consequences regarding glucose metabolism induced by mTOR inhibitors and compare them to the metabolic profile provoked by metformin use. We further suggest metformin use concurrent with rapalogs in order to pharmacologically address the impaired glucose metabolism and prevent the development of new-onset diabetes mellitus after solid organ transplantations induced by the chronic rapalog treatment.


Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Clarke ◽  
Iain J. Clarke ◽  
Alexandra Rao ◽  
Michael A. Cowley ◽  
Belinda A. Henry

Adiposity is regulated in a sexually divergent manner. This is partly due to sex steroids, but the differential effects of androgens in males and females are unclear. We investigated effects of testosterone on energy balance in castrated male (n = 6) and female sheep (n = 4), which received 3 × 200 mg testosterone implants for 2 wk or blank implants (controls). Temperature probes were implanted into retroperitoneal fat and skeletal muscle. Blood samples were taken to measure metabolites and insulin. In males, muscle and fat biopsies were collected to measure uncoupling protein (UCP) mRNA and phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase and Akt. Testosterone did not change food intake in either sex. Temperature in muscle was higher in males than females, and testosterone reduced heat production in males only. In fat, however, temperature was higher in the castrate males compared with females, and there was no effect of testosterone treatment in either sex. Preprandial glucose levels were lower, but nonesterified fatty acids were higher in females compared with males, irrespective of testosterone. In males, the onset of feeding increased UCP1 and UCP3 mRNA levels in skeletal muscle, without an effect of testosterone. During feeding, testosterone reduced glucose levels in males only but did not alter the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase or Akt in muscle. Thus, testosterone maintains lower muscle and fat temperatures in males but not females. The mechanism underlying this sex-specific effect of testosterone is unknown but may be due to sexual differentiation of the brain centers controlling energy expenditure.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (42) ◽  
pp. 11913-11918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takafumi Ogawa ◽  
Ryohei Tsubakiyama ◽  
Muneyoshi Kanai ◽  
Tetsuya Koyama ◽  
Tsutomu Fujii ◽  
...  

Dietary restriction (DR), such as calorie restriction (CR) or methionine (Met) restriction, extends the lifespan of diverse model organisms. Although studies have identified several metabolites that contribute to the beneficial effects of DR, the molecular mechanism underlying the key metabolites responsible for DR regimens is not fully understood. Here we show that stimulatingS-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet) synthesis extended the lifespan of the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. The AdoMet synthesis-mediated beneficial metabolic effects, which resulted from consuming both Met and ATP, mimicked CR. Indeed, stimulating AdoMet synthesis activated the universal energy-sensing regulator Snf1, which is theS. cerevisiaeortholog of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), resulting in lifespan extension. Furthermore, our findings revealed thatS-adenosyl-l-homocysteine contributed to longevity with a higher accumulation of AdoMet only under the severe CR (0.05% glucose) conditions. Thus, our data uncovered molecular links between Met metabolites and lifespan, suggesting a unique function of AdoMet as a reservoir of Met and ATP for cell survival.


2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (11) ◽  
pp. 1155-1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Di Fusco ◽  
Vincenzo Dinallo ◽  
Ivan Monteleone ◽  
Federica Laudisi ◽  
Irene Marafini ◽  
...  

Metformin, a hypoglycemic drug used for treatment of type 2 diabetes, regulates inflammatory pathways. By using several models of intestinal inflammation, we examined whether metformin exerts anti-inflammatory effects and investigated the basic mechanism by which metformin blocks pathologic signals. Colitic mice given metformin exhibited less colonic inflammation and increased expression of active AMP-activated protein kinase, a mediator of the metabolic effects of metformin, in both epithelial and lamina propria compartments. Pharmacological inhibition of AMP-activated protein kinase reduced but did not prevent metformin-induced therapeutic effect as well as treatment of colitic mice with a pharmacological activator of AMP-activated protein kinase attenuated but did not resolve colitis. These data suggest that the anti-inflammatory effect of metformin relies on the control of additional pathways other than AMP-activated protein kinase. Indeed, metformin down-regulated p38 MAP kinase activation in colitic mice through an AMP-activated protein kinase-independent mechanism. Expression of active form of AMP-activated protein kinase was reduced in inflammatory bowel disease patients and treatment of mucosal cells of such patients with metformin enhanced AMP-activated protein kinase activation and reduced p38 MAP kinase activation, thereby inhibiting interleukin-6 expression. Our findings indicate that metformin is a good candidate for inhibiting pathological inflammation in the gut.


2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (5) ◽  
pp. E867-E877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuharu Fujii ◽  
Niels Jessen ◽  
Laurie J. Goodyear

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an energy-sensing enzyme that is activated by acute increases in the cellular [AMP]/[ATP] ratio. In skeletal and/or cardiac muscle, AMPK activity is increased by stimuli such as exercise, hypoxia, ischemia, and osmotic stress. There are many lines of evidence that increasing AMPK activity in skeletal muscle results in increased rates of glucose transport. Although similar to the effects of insulin to increase glucose transport in muscle, it is clear that the underlying mechanisms for AMPK-mediated glucose transport involve proximal signals that are distinct from that of insulin. Here, we discuss the evidence for AMPK regulation of glucose transport in skeletal and cardiac muscle and describe research investigating putative signaling mechanisms mediating this effect. We also discuss evidence that AMPK may play a role in enhancing muscle and whole body insulin sensitivity for glucose transport under conditions such as exercise, as well as the use of the AMPK activator AICAR to reverse insulin-resistant conditions. The identification of AMPK as a novel glucose transport mediator in skeletal muscle is providing important insights for the treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes.


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