小檗碱的研究进展

Advances in the Study of Berberine

小檗碱是从黄连和小檗碱属类等植物中提取分离得到的一种异喹啉类生物碱。在中国传统药方中,这些中药已广泛用于湿热症。许多治疗风湿性疾病的药方的重要成分皆是小檗碱属类的提取物。作为这些提取物中的主要活性成分,小檗碱被证实在治疗自身免疫性疾病、糖尿病、肿瘤、腹泻等方面可发挥重要作用。由于小檗碱生物学作用广泛,其潜在的应用价值巨大。为了认识这种重要中药成分的具体潜能,我们需要更多的动物和人类实验研究。

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid that is present in numerous Chinese plants of Coptis and the genera Berberis. These herbs have commonly been used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of ＂damp-heat＂ syndromes. Several traditional remedies that are used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases are based on extracts of plants which belong to the genera Berberis. As one of the main active ingredients of these extracts, berberine are demonstrated to exert significant properties of in treating autoimmune diseases, diabetes, tumor, diarrhea, and so on.Berberine has wide physiologic function and has great potential for structural modification. Further studies in animals and humans are needed to know the full potential of this vital comoonent of herbal medicine.