Advances of Akkermansia muciniphila in regulating host functions / 中国中药杂志

Akkermansia muciniphila, abbreviated as AKK and found in 2004, is an oval-shaped gram-negative bacterium isolated from a human feal. A. muciniphila is widely present in the intestinal tract of human. Its specialization in mucin degradation makes it a key organism at the mucosal interface between the lumen and host cells. More and more studies have shown that it can play the role of probiotics. Notably, declined levels of A. muciniphila have been observed in patients with diabetes, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, neurodegenerative diseases, etc. In addition, A. muciniphila combined with traditional Chinese medicine, exhibited higher effect on regulating host functions, but the underlying mechanism was still unclear, requiring further in-depth research. Therefore, the aims of this review are to summarize the main effects of A. muciniphila on host health and its relationship with traditional Chinese medicine, summarize the main problems, and provide a reference for the further research of A. muciniphila and traditional Chinese medicine.

Antidiabetic activity of Callicarpa nudiflora extract in type 2 diabetic rats via activation of the AMPK-ACC pathway

Objective: To evaluate the antidiabetic effect of Callicarpa nudiflora extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods: The chemical constituents in Callicarpa nudiflora extract were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. Callicarpa nudiflora extract (0.15 and 0.3 g/kg) was orally administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for 42 d. The effects of Callicarpa nudiflora extract on body weight, blood glucose, serum insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C and HDL-C were investigated, and its effect on liver and pancreatic pathology was assessed by histopathological analysis. Moreover, the expression levels of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), phospho-AMPK/AMPK, and p-acetyl-coA carboxylase (P-ACC)/ACC in the skeletal muscles and liver were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Results: A total of 34 compounds, including 8 iridoids, 14 phenylpropanoids, and 12 flavonoids, were identified from Callicarpa nudiflora extract. Callicarpa nudiflora extract significantly reduced blood glucose and significantly restored all other biochemical parameters to near normal levels, including serum insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, and HDL-C. Callicarpa nudiflora extract improved insulin resistance and reversed the damage in the liver and pancreas caused by diabetes. Furthermore, Callicarpa nudiflora extract increased the expression levels of phospho-AMPK, GLUT4, P-ACC, and insulin receptor substrate-1 and decreased the expression level of PPAR毭 in diabetic rats.Conclusions: Callicarpa nudiflora extract improved oral glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and reversed the diabetes-related damage in the liver and pancreas by activating the AMPK-ACC pathway.