Protective Effect of Jiang Tang Xiao Ke Granules against Skeletal Muscle IR via Activation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α Signaling Pathway

• Published in: Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity Vol. 2021; no. 1; p. 5566053
• Main Authors: Bai, Ying, Zuo, Jiacheng, Fang, Xin, Ma, Rufeng, Tian, Tian, Mo, Fangfang, Mu, Qianqian, Zhang, Yi, Yu, Na, Bao, Xueli, Zhang, Dongwei, Gao, Sihua, Zhao, Dandan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Hindawi 2021; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: AMP-Activated Protein Kinases - drug effects; Animals; Antibodies; Bioengineering; Body composition; Chinese medicine; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Fatty acids; Fitness equipment; Glucose; Humidity; Insulin resistance; Insulin Resistance - immunology; Kinases; Male; Metabolism; Mice; Mitochondrial DNA; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Musculoskeletal system; Signal Transduction; Beijing China; United States > US; China; Japan
• ISSN: 1942-0900; 1942-0994
• DOI: 10.1155/2021/5566053

The Jiang Tang Xiao Ke (JTXK) granule is a classic Chinese herbal formula that has been put into clinical use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus for decades. However, whether its ability to ameliorate skeletal muscle insulin resistance (IR) is through modulation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of JTXK granules on IR in skeletal muscle of high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice and C2C12 cells and analyze the underlying mechanisms. In the present study, we showed that JTXK granules attenuated body weight gain, reduced body fat mass, improved body lean mass, and enhanced muscle performance of diabetic mice. JTXK granules also improved glucose metabolism and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and partially reversed abnormal serum lipid levels, which might be related to the regulation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway, both in skeletal muscle tissue of diabetic mice and in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, drug-containing serum of JTXK granules was capable of enhancing glucose uptake and mitochondrial respiration in C2C12 cells, and AMPKα was proven to be closely involved in this process. Taken together, these results suggest that the JTXK granule ameliorates skeletal muscle IR through activation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway, which offers a novel perspective of this formula to combat IR-related metabolic diseases.