Research Article Details
Article ID: | A17529 |
PMID: | 27658958 |
Source: | J Mol Endocrinol |
Title: | ERK-dependent mTOR pathway is involved in berberine-induced autophagy in hepatic steatosis. |
Abstract: | Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a burgeoning health problem and is considered as a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Increasing evidence demonstrates that berberine (BBR), a natural plant alkaloid, is beneficial for obesity-associated NAFLD. However, the mechanisms about how BBR improves hepatic steatosis remain uncertain. Recently, some reports revealed that enhanced autophagy could decrease hepatic lipid accumulation. In this study, we first established a high-fed diet (HFD) mice model and oleate-palmitate-induced lipotoxicity hepatocytes to explore the association among BBR, autophagy and hepatic steatosis. Our data demonstrated that BBR had profound effects on improving hepatic lipid accumulation both in vivo and in vitro, and led to high autophagy flux. The molecular alterations proceeding these changes were characterized by inhibition of the ERK/mTOR pathway. These findings suggest an important mechanism for the positive effects of BBR on hepatic steatosis, and may provide new evidence for the clinical use of BBR in NAFLD. |
DOI: | 10.1530/JME-16-0139 |

Strategy ID | Therapy Strategy | Synonyms | Therapy Targets | Therapy Drugs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S02 | Enhance lipid metabolism | triglyceride-lowering; lipid tolerance; lipid metabolism | 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) inhibitor; Decreases intestinal cholesterol absorption; FXR agonist; ACC inhibitor; FAS inhibitor; DGAT2 inhibitor; SCD-1 inhibitor | Atorvastatin; Ezetimibe; Obeticholic Acid; GS-9674; GS-0976; TVB-2640; IONIS-DGAT2rx; Aramchol; | Details |
Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I14 | 9970 | Obesity | An overnutrition that is characterized by excess body fat, traditionally defined as an elevated ratio of weight to height (specifically 30 kilograms per meter squared), has_material_basis_in a multifactorial etiology related to excess nutrition intake, decreased caloric utilization, and genetic susceptibility, and possibly medications and certain disorders of metabolism, endocrine function, and mental illness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity | disease of metabolism/acquired metabolic disease/ nutrition disease/overnutrition | Details |
Drug ID | Drug Name | Type | DrugBank ID | Targets | Category | Latest Progress | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D080 | Citrulline | Chemical drug | DB00155 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D328 | Serine | Chemical drug | DB00133 | SRR | Improve insulin resistance | Under clinical trials | Details |
D029 | Berberine | Chemical drug | DB04115 | AMPK activator | Improve insulin resistance | Under clinical trials | Details |