Pharmacological investigations of the anti-diabetic effect of Cortex Moutan and its active component paeonol

• Published in: Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) Vol. 14; no. 11; pp. 778 - 784
• Main Authors: Lau, C.H., Chan, C.M., Chan, Y.W., Lau, K.M., Lau, T.W., Lam, F.C., Law, W.T., Che, C.T., Leung, P.C., Fung, K.P., Ho, Y.Y., Lau, C.B.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Elsevier GmbH 01.11.2007; Urban & Fischer Verlag
• Subjects: Alcohol; Alcohol, Denatured; Animals; Blood Glucose; Carrier proteins; Cells, Cultured - drug effects; Cells, Cultured - metabolism; Cortex Moutan; Dextrose; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - chemically induced; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - prevention & control; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Diabetes therapy; Education grants; Glucose; Glucose - metabolism; Glucose Tolerance Test; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Medicine, Botanic; Medicine, Herbal; Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Paenonia suffruticosa; Paeonia; Paeonol; Phosphates; Physiological aspects; Phytochemicals; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Roots; Polysaccharides; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Streptozocin; Traditional Chinese medicine; Type 2 diabetes; China; Traditional Chinese medicine; Cortex Moutan; Paeonol; Diabetes mellitus; Paenonia suffruticosa
• ISSN: 0944-7113; 1618-095X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2007.01.007

Cortex Moutan (CM, root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.) is one of the common herbs found in anti-diabetic traditional Chinese medicine formulae. To study the potential anti-diabetic mechanisms of CM, four in vitro models (intestinal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV), rat hepatoma cell line H4IIE, human skin fibroblasts cell line Hs68 and mouse adipocytes 3T3-L1) were used. CM showed significant in vitro anti-diabetic effects by inhibiting glucose uptake of BBMV and enhancing glucose uptake into Hs68 and 3T3-L1 cells. Using bioassay-guided fractionation, paeonol was confirmed to be one of the active constituents for inhibiting BBMV glucose uptake. With neonatal-streptozotocin diabetic rats, paeonol (200 and 400 mg/kg body wt.) was found to improve oral glucose tolerance in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the anti-diabetic effect of paeonol.