• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1851-1857
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• 2014

Objective: The main purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of berberine hydrochloride (BH) on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of CNE-1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Our results shed light on the functional components of traditional Chinese herbs for potential use in modern medicine. Methods: The CNE-1 cell line was treated with different concentrations of BH and effects on cell viability and proliferation were evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Anti-migratory and anti-invasive actions of BH were investigated using wound healing assays and the Millicell Hanging cell culture insert system, respectively. Expression of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related gene twist (Twist) was analyzed by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Apoptosis was estimated with an annexin-V fluorescein (FITC) apoptosis detection kit, as well as with reference to levels of activated caspase-3 of CNE-1 cells before and after treatment with BH utilizing fluorescence spectroscopy. Results: BH was capable of reducing proliferation and viability of CNE-1 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, also demonstrating anti-migratory and anti-invasive capacities which correlated with reduction in expression of Twist. Finally, BH was able to induce significant amounts of apoptosis in CNE-1 cells, as demonstrated by an increase in the activity of caspase-3 and in annexin-V staining following treatment. Conclusion: BH extracted from rhizoma coptidis demonstrated an ability to block proliferation, induce apoptosis, and impair the migration and invasion of the CNE-1 cell line Considering these properties, our results suggest that BH could be an important compound for consideration in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.104-111
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• 2016

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito borne pathogen, belongs to Flaviviridae family having a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome, currently known for causing large epidemics in Brazil. Its infection can cause microcephaly, a serious birth defect during pregnancy. The recent outbreak of ZIKV in February 2016 in Brazil realized it as a major health risk, demands an enhanced surveillance and a need to develop novel drugs against ZIKV. Amodiaquine, prochlorperazine, quinacrine, and berberine are few promising drugs approved by Food and Drug Administration against dengue virus which also belong to Flaviviridae family. In this study, we performed molecular docking analysis of these drugs against nonstructural 3 (NS3) protein of ZIKV. The protease activity of NS3 is necessary for viral replication and its prohibition could be considered as a strategy for treatment of ZIKV infection. Amongst these four drugs, berberine has shown highest binding affinity of -5.8 kcal/mol and it is binding around the active site region of the receptor. Based on the properties of berberine, more similar compounds were retrieved from ZINC database and a structure-based virtual screening was carried out by AutoDock Vina in PyRx 0.8. Best 10 novel drug-like compounds were identified and amongst them ZINC53047591 (2-(benzylsulfanyl)-3-cyclohexyl-3H-spiro[benzo[h]quinazoline-5,1'-cyclopentan]-4(6H)-one) was found to interact with NS3 protein with binding energy of -7.1 kcal/mol and formed H-bonds with Ser135 and Asn152 amino acid residues. Observations made in this study may extend an assuring platform for developing anti-viral competitive inhibitors against ZIKV infection.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.90-94
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• 2019

Objectives: Paclitaxel (PTX) as an anticancer drug used against solid cancers, possesses adverse reactions such as neuropathic pain which has confined its use. PTX-induced neuropathic pain is mediated via activation of oxidative stress. Berberine (BER), an isoquinoline phytochemical found in several plants, exerts strong antioxidant and painkilling properties. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate pain-relieving effect of BER in a mouse model of PTX-induced neuropathic pain. Methods: This study was done using 42 male albino mice that were randomly divided into 6 groups (n = 7) as follow: Sham-operated (not treated with PTX), negative control group (PTX-treated mice receiving normal saline), BER 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg (PTX-treated mice receiving BER) and positive control group (PTX-treated mice receiving imipramine 10 mg/kg). Neuropathic pain was induced by intraperitoneal administration of four doses of PTX (2 mg/kg/day) on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. Then, on day 7, hot plate test was done to assess latency to heat to measure possible anti-neuropathic pain effect of BER. Results: Four doses of PTX 2 mg/kg/day induced neuropathy that was reduced by BER at all time-points (i.e. 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min) after injection (P < 0.001 in comparison to control). The statistical analysis of data showed significant differences between groups (P < 0.001 in comparison to negative control), at 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after injection of BER 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg; in other words, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after BER administration, neuropathic pain was significantly reduced as compared to normal saline-treated mice. Conclusion: Altogether, our results showed that PTX could induce neuropathic pain as reflected by hyperalgesia and BER could alleviate PTX-induced thermal hyperalgesia.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.291-298
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• 2021

In this study, we investigated whether the combined administration of berberine (BBR) and silibinin (SBN) was effective in improving hyperlipidemia and anti-obesity efficacy using a high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese mouse model. HFD-induced obese mice were supplemented with the BBR and SBN combination (BBR-SBN) along with the HFD administration for 8 weeks. During the experiment, body weight, food intake, and levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were analyzed. Consumption of HFD in the mice caused rapid increases in body weight and the levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides compared to the normal control (NC) group. However, supplementation of BBR-SBN in these obese mice significantly reduced body weight gain and suppressed the levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride with the increment of HDL cholesterol level. In the HFD-fed group, abdominal fat weight was significantly increased and the adipocytes within the epididymal adipose tissue were found to have expanded sizes compared to the NC group. However, in the BBR-SBN group, the sizes of the adipocytes were comparable to those of the NC group and abdominal fat weight was significantly reduced. Moreover, the deposition of giant vesicular fat cells in liver tissues seen in the HFD-fed group was considerably reduced in the BBR-SBN group. These results suggest that the BBR-SBN combination tends to have synergic potential as an anti-obesity agent by significantly reducing body weight gain as well as lowering serum lipid levels and thus improving anti-obesity efficacy in HFD-induced obese mice.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.55-55
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.300.2-301
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• 2001

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Dyers and Finishers Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.75-76
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• 2007

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.138-139
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• 1995

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.54-62
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• 1999

This experiment was carried out to study the safe utilization and standardization Whangryunhaedok-tang extract solution for herbopuncture on stroke patients. The test material was manufactured by water-alcohol method. The components of Whangryunhaedok-tang extract solution for herbopuncture were analyzed by HPLC. Mice were used for acute toxicity tests. The results were as follows. 1. In the berberine contents(%) of Whangryunhaedok-tang extract, berberine was 0.25%. 2. There were no abnormal findings in acute toxicity test treated with Whangryunhaedok-tang extract solution for herbopuncture and LD50 was not reached because no experimental animals were found dead throughout the study.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.246-253
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• 1996

Coptis rhizoma was extracted with methanol or hot water. Methanol extracts had higher berberine content than water extracts, whereas the contents of Ca, Mg, Zn and K were higher in the water extracts. Rats were fed on the purified diets rich in 0.12% cholesterol only or supplemented with 0.5% of each extracts for four weeks. The concentration of total serum cholesterol was significantly lower in the rats given the extracts, irrespective of the extractants. Although the concentration of serum HDL-cholesterol was comparable among the groups, the ratio of HDL-/total-cholesterol was higher in rats given the extracts. The concentration of serum free fatty acids and ketone body were significantly elevated in rats given the extracts. On the other hand, the extracts supplements significantly decreased the contents of liver cholesterol and triacylglycerol. The amount of fecal bile acids was markedly higher in rats given the extracts, especially in those given water extracts. The results show an effective hypocholesterolemic action of Coptis rhizoma and it seems that the lower concentration of serum and liver cholesterol is resulted from the increased fecal bile acids in rats.