Therapeutic potential of berberine against neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Berberine (BBR) is an organic small molecule isolated from various plants that have been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Isolation of this compound was its induction into modern medicine, and its usefulness became quickly apparent as seen in its ability to combat bacterial diarrhea, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, inflammation, heart diseases, and more. However, BBR’s effects on neurodegenerative diseases remained relatively unexplored until its ability to stunt Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression was characterized. In this review, we will delve into the multi-faceted defensive capabilities and bio-molecular pathways of BBR against AD, Parkinson’s disease (PD), and trauma-induced neurodegeneration. The multiple effects of BBR, some of which enhance neuro-protective factors/pathways and others counteract targets that induce neurodegeneration, suggest that there are many more branches to the diverse capabilities of BBR that have yet to be uncovered. The promising results seen provide a convincing and substantial basis to support further scientific exploration and development of the therapeutic potential of BBR against neurodegenerative diseases.

Berberine Induces <b><i>CYP2J2</i></b> Expression in Human U251 Glioma Cells via Regulation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha

“…Currently, there is an increasing interest in berberine due to its favorable biological activities, and there have been many studies regarding its pharmacokinetic properties [2][3][4] and pharmacological activities [5]. In clinical practice and some trials, berberine has been shown to have therapeutic effects on several clinical disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases [6][7][8], cancer [9], cardiological problems [10,11], metabolic syndrome [12], mood disorders [13], and hepatic and renal disorders [14], indicating that berberine has potential for further development as a natural drug.…”

“…CYP2J2 is the only member of the CYP2J subfamily in humans. One of its major biological functions is as an arachidonic acid (AA) epoxygenase, which breaks AA into 4 regioisomeric cis-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (5,8,11,and 14, [19,20]. CYP2J2 encodes a 502 amino acid protein that is primarily expressed in the heart, and, to a lesser degree, in the brain, pancreas, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, and skeletal muscle [14].…”

Berberine chloride ameliorated PI3K/Akt-p/SIRT-1/PTEN signaling pathway in insulin resistance syndrome-induced rats

“…Berberine (BER) is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from different plants such as Berberis vulgaris [4]. BER is a strong base which is usually unstable when present in free form so it usually accompanied with chloride ion in form of BER-chloride [5, 6].…”

“…BER can be used for improving some cardiac diseases and intestinal infections especially bacterial diarrhea [9, 10]. Furthermore, recently it is used as a neuroprotective agent against some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzhimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases as it has the ability to pass the blood brain barrier [4].…”

Berberine protects against light-induced photoreceptor degeneration in the mouse retina

“…BBR has a variety of biological activities including antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects (Kuo et al, 2004; Sack and Froehlich, 1982; Stermitz et al, 2000). Recent findings showed that BBR prevents neuronal damage in in vitro and in vivo models of Alzheimer’s disease(Asai et al, 2007; Jiang et al, 2015; Panahi et al, 2013; Zhu and Qian, 2006). Additionally, published studies showed BBR can inhibit oxidative stress in various models, including hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats (Sheng et al, 2015), high glucose and high fat diet-induced diabetic hamsters (C.…”