Author names in bold designate shared co-first authorship.

No abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex disorder comprehensively influenced by genetic and environmental risk, and research increasingly has indicated the role of microbial dysbiosis in T2DM pathogenesis. However, studies comparing the microbiome characteristics between T2DM and healthy controls have reported inconsistent results. To further identify and describe the characteristics of the intestinal flora of T2DM patients, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of stool microbial profiles to discern and describe microbial dysbiosis in T2DM and to explore heterogeneity among 7 studies (600 T2DM cases, 543 controls, 1143 samples in total). Using a random effects model and a fixed effects model, we observed significant differences in beta diversity, but not alpha diversity, between individuals with T2DM and controls. We identified various operational taxonomic unit (OTUs) and bacterial genera with significant odds ratios for T2DM. The T2DM signatures derived from a single study by stepwise feature selection could be applied in other studies. By training on multiple studies, we improved the detection accuracy and disease specificity for T2DM. We also discuss the relationship between T2DM-enriched or T2DM-depleted genera and probiotics and provide new ideas for diabetes prevention and improvement.

Hyperactivated glucose uptake and glycolytic metabolism are considered as a hallmark of cancer. Berberine, a natural alkaloid with tumor‑selective anticancer effects, has been shown to promote glucose uptake in metabolic tissues and cells. However, whether and how berberine regulates the glucose metabolism of cancer cells are still poorly understood. In the present study, we revealed that berberine, which suppressed the growth of colon cancer cell lines HCT116 and KM12C, greatly inhibited the glucose uptake and the transcription of glucose metabolic genes, GLUT1, LDHA and HK2 in these two cell lines as assessed by RT‑qPCR. A mechanistic study further indicated that the protein expression but not mRNA transcription of HIF‑1α, a well‑known transcription factor critical for dysregulated cancer cell glucose metabolism, was dramatically inhibited in berberine‑treated colon cancer cell lines. Using western blot analysis, this regulation appears to occur via protein synthesis but not protein stability as blockade of HIF‑1α protein degradation by hypoxia mimic desferrioxamine (DFX) or proteasome inhibitor MG132 did not affect berberine's effect. In addition, mTOR signaling previously reported to regulate HIF‑1α protein synthesis was further found to be suppressed by berberine. Taken together, our results indicated that berberine inhibits overactive glucose metabolism of colon cancer cells via suppressing mTOR‑depended HIF‑1α protein synthesis, which provided not only a novel mechanism involved in berberine's tumor‑specific toxicity but also a theoretical basis for the development of berberine for colon cancer treatment.