Chinen Salt / Berberine with Type 2 Diabetes
What Is Chinen Salt?
Chinen salt is extracted from the herb contained Berberine or say Chinen Salt and Berberine are same in chemical composition. Berberine is present in a few plants that are commonly used in botanical medicine, including Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium), Barberry (Berberis vulgaris), and Chinese Goldthread (Coptis chinensis). Taking the word " Chinen " from this name of “Coptis Chinensis†and combining it with the word salt (because it is found as a "quaternary ammonium salt"), it became known as " Chinen Salt."
Type 2 diabetes is a global health threat, and medical options are scarce due to a lack of available drugs. After long-term administration, all of the current oral hypoglycemic agents malfunction. As a result, new oral drugs are needed for long-term blood glucose management in type 2 diabetes patients.
Because of their anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, and anti-hyperglycemia properties, some botanical products derived from traditionally known as General Regarded as Safe (GRAS) plants have been commonly used in diabetes treatment. The disadvantage of using GRAS plants is the difficulties of controlling their consistency since most of these botanical items are mixtures of different compounds. In comparison to other GRAS plant drugs, berberine is a single purified compound that has a glucose-lowering effect in vitro and in vivo.
Berberine (molecular formula C20H19NO5 and molecular weight 353.36) is the main active ingredient of Coptis chinensis French, an ancient Chinese herb that has been used to cure diabetes for thousands of years. Berberine is an over-the-counter (OTC) medication used in China to treat gastrointestinal infections.
In this pilot analysis, berberine hydrochloride (BHClnH2O), the most common type of berberine, is used. Berberine and similar isoquinoline alkaloids have a somewhat different molecular composition than other widely used hypoglycemic agents such as sulphonylureas, biguanides, thiazolidinediones, or acarbose. As a result, if the effectiveness and protection of berberine are proven, it could open the door to a new type of anti-diabetic drugs.
The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of berberine in human subjects with type 2 diabetes. Berberine was administered to all newly diagnosed diabetic patients and poorly monitored diabetic patients for three months, either alone or in tandem with other hypoglycemic agents. Berberine's effectiveness was determined using HbA1c, blood glucose, and the HOMA index.
Research Results
Berberine decreased blood glucose and lipids in newly diagnosed diabetic patients. HbA1c, FBG, PBG, fasting insulin, and postprandial insulin all decreased significantly. Triglycerides and overall cholesterol were slightly lower in the metformin population by week 13 (P 0.05). Berberine has an identical role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, such as Hb a1c and FBG, as metformin.
Berberine reduced FBG from 9.6 to 7.8 percent and PBG from 14.8 to 3.6 percent in the first 7 days of therapy. FBG and PBG fell even more, reaching a nadir 2.1 percent below the baseline and remaining there for the rest of the study. Blood lipids, such as triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL-C, decreased and were considerably lower than at the start. But for an increase in fasting C-peptide and postprandial C-peptide, no major differences in the parameters were found between weeks 5 and 13.
During the 13 weeks of berberine procedure, including monotherapy and combined therapy, the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects was 34.5 percent. These occurrences included diarrhea (n: 6; percentage: 10.3%), constipation (4; 6.9%), flatulence (11; 19.0%), and stomach discomfort (2; 3.4 percent ) In this research, the liver and kidney functions were controlled. None of the patients had a significant (more than 50%) increase in liver enzymes or creatinine.
Discussion
Berberine's hypoglycemic activity was discovered in 1988, when it was used to relieve diarrhea in diabetic patients in China. Many Chinese doctors have used berberine as an anti-hyperglycemic agent since then. Berberine's hypoglycemic action is reported in a large number of clinical cases in Chinese literature. However, the majority of recent trials were not well-controlled, and the tests were poorly planned. Furthermore, owing to inadequate testing conditions, none of them used HbA1c as a parameter. As a result, the anti-diabetic activity of berberine must be closely tested.
Berberine greatly reduced HbA1c levels in diabetic patients in this pilot trial. The effect was comparable to metformin, a popular oral hypoglycemic agent. Berberine greatly reduced serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels.
Berberine increased insulin sensitivity thus decreasing the HOMA-IR benefit by about half. Berberiene can have an impact on fat distribution. When berberine was combined with insulin, both fasting and postprandial C-peptides increased dramatically in patients, implying that long-term berberine therapy could enhance insulin secretion in patients, resulting in the failure of oral hypoglycemic agents. Berberine's effects on islet function require further investigation.
The mechanism by which berberine affects glucose metabolism is still being researched. Berberine has the potential to act as an alpha-glucosidase receptor. It blocked the activity of disaccharidases and reduced glucose transfer through the intestinal epithelium. This may lead to berbersine's adverse gastrointestinal effects in some patients. To prevent excessive flatulence or diarrhea when combining with metformin or acarbose, the dose should be lowered to 0.3 g t.i.d.
Berberine was found to lower serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-C. Berberine increased LDL receptor mRNA and protein levels in hyperlipidemic hamsters. In addition to increasing LDL receptor expression, it has been shown to inhibit lipid synthesis in human hepatocytes by activating AMPK.
Conclusion :
In conclusion, berberine is an active oral hypoglycemic agent with only a minor effect on lipid metabolism. It is safe, and the cost of berberine treatment is very low. It has the potential to be a new drug candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. This, though, is a pilot analysis. Berberine's effectiveness continues to be evaluated in a wider population and defined as a result of diabetes length. More research is required to determine the effect of berberine here on type 2 diabetes in other ethnic groups.