Anti-diabetic Effect of Zishenwan and Its Herbal Components： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Zishenwan， also known as Tongguanwan， is composed of three herbs：Anemarrhenae Rhizoma， Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex， and Cinnamomi Cortex， which thus is thought to be the representative formula to clear heat， purge fire， nourish Yin， and tonify Qi， and it is often used for treating anuresis and renal arthralgia. In recent years， this formula has become a commonly used combination of herbs and is used to treat diabetes （consumptive thirst disease） diagnosed with "lower consumption" syndrome. This article systematically reviewed the development of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） theory for Zishenwan. Moreover， based on modern pharmacological research， the previous studies on the components of Zishenwan， the improvement of diabetes-related diseases by Zishenwan， and the relationship between the single herd of Zishenwan and the treatment of diabetes were summarized， and the chemical components and the mechanisms for treating diabetes by the three herbs were discussed. It is found that Zishenwan can alleviate diabetes and diabetic nephropathy by performing anti-inflammation， enhancing insulin sensitivity， and inhibiting pyroptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells. Three herbs in Zishenwan and several components of them， including mangiferin， timosaponins， berberine， jatrorrhizine， cinnamaldehyde， and cinnamic acid can ameliorate diabetes and maintain stable glycometabolism by a variety of mechanisms such as improving insulin resistance in insulin target tissues， suppressing inflammation， anti-oxidation， regulating lipid metabolism， enhancing insulin secretion， and regulating gut microbiota. This review provides a theoretical foundation and reference for subsequent studies on the mechanisms of the anti-diabetic effect of Zishenwan.