Identification of berbamine dihydrochloride from barberry as an anti-adipogenic agent by high-content imaging assay

Objective:Lipid droplet(LD)deposition in adipose tissue is a critical factor leading to metabolic dysfunction.Various herbal medicines in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)are used to treat hyperlipidemia,type 2 diabetes,obesity,and other diseases.The objective of this study was to identify potential anti-adipogenic agents from TCM herbal compounds.Methods:One hundred and twenty compounds were evaluated in terms of their effect on adipocyte differentiation through image-based high content screening.Anti-adipogenic effects of identified hits were further confirmed at various concentrations.In addition,drug-induced liver injury assay was performed with HepG2 cells to test the hepatotoxicity of hit compounds.Results:Berbamine(BBM),a chemical isolated from barberry,and a derivative of BBM,berbamine dihydrochloride(BBMD),reduced LDs formation by more than 50%.Dose-dependent effects were observed and the IC50 values of the two hits,BBM and BBMD,were determined as 1.88 mM and 0.95 mM,respectively.Moreover,BBM induced mild HepG2 cell injury,while its dihydrochloridedBBMD did not exhibit hepatotoxicity within 40 mM.Conclusion:This study demonstrates that BBMD may be a potential therapeutic candidate for disorders associated with elevated LDs accumulation.

Roles of berbamine in the normal and ischemia/reperfusion hearts

Myocardial infarction resulting from coronary atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in modern soci- ety. Reperfusion is an essential treatment to salvage ischemia myocardium from necrosis, while it also leads to addi- tional damage. Therefore, exploring effective medicines to protect the heart from post-ischemic injury is one of the major objectives of cardiovascular research. Berbamine is a nature compound of bisbenzylisochinoline alkaloids from Barberry. We found that it displays positive inotropic and lusitropic effects at lower concentrations by increasing myofilament Ca2＋ sensitivity via a PKCe-dependent signaling pathway. Moreover, berbamine preconditioning con- fers cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion （I/R） injury by attenuating the Ca2＋ overloading and preventing the calpain activation through the activating of PI3K-Akt-GSK3β pathway and subsequently opening of the mitoKATP channel. Furthermore, we demonstrate that berbamine postconditioning conferred the cardioprotective effect against I/R injury by the regulation of autophagy. These findings reveal new roles and mechanisms of berbamine in the heart and cardioprotection against I/R injury.

Berbamine selectively induces apoptosis of human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells via survivin-mediated pathway

Background Currently, resistance and relapse are still major problems in acute promyelocytic leukemia （APL） cases. Thus, new agents that override the resistance are crucial to the development of curative therapies for APL. In this study, we investigated the effects of berbamine on the proliferation of APL cell line NB4 and its possible mechanisms. Methods NB4 cells were treated with berbamine at different concentrations （0-64 μg/ml） for 72 hours. MTT assay was used to determine proliferation inhibition of NB4 cells. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by both flow cytometry （FCM） and morphological examination. PML/RAR-α and survivin mRNAs were measured by nested-RT-PCR and RT-PCR, respectively. Activated-caspase 3 was determined by FCM. Results Berbamine greatly inhibited the proliferation of NB4 cells in dose- and time-dependent manners, and its IC50 value was 3.86 μg/ml at 48 hours. Both morphological observations and FCM results showed that berbamine induced apoptosis of NB4 cells with concomitant increase of activated caspase-3 and decrease of survivin mRNA. After treatment with berbamine at 8 μg/ml for 48 hours, the percentage of apoptotic cells increased from 2.83% to 58.44% （P〈0.01）, and the percentage of cells with activated-caspase 3 elevated from 2.06% to 70.89% （P〈0.01）, whereas, level of survivin mRNA was reduced to 38.24% of control （P〈0.01）. However, no significant change was observed in PML/RAR-α mRNA.Conclusions Berbamine induces caspase-3-dependent apoptosis of leukemia NB4 cells via survivin-mediated pathway, suggesting that berbamine may be a novel potential agent against APL with a mechanism distinct from that of all-trans retinoic acid （ATRA） and arsenic trioxide （ATO）.

Berbamine ameliorates ethanol-induced liver injury by inhibition of hepatic inflammation in mice

Alcoholic liver disease(ALD) has become one of the leading causes of death in the world. Berbamine(BM), a natural product mainly derived from Berberis vulgaris L, possesses multiple bioactivities as a traditional medicine. However, the protective effect of BM on ALD remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of BM on ethanol-induced hepatic injury in mice and its underlying mechanism. It was shown that BM at 0.3125-40 μmol·L^-1 had no effect on macrophages and hepatocytes proliferation. BM at 5-20 μmol·L^-1 significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide(LPS) or acetate-induced IL-1β and IL-6 m RNA expression in RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, BM treatment significantly inhibited LPS-induced p65 and STAT3 phosphorylation in RAW264.7 cells. Hepatic histopathology analysis showed that inflammatory cells infiltration and lipid accumulation were suppressed by 25 and 50 mg·kg^-1 BM administration in ethanol-induced hepatic injury mouse model. Meanwhile, BM treatment significantly inhibited serum ALT and AST levels in ethanol-fed mice. Oil red O staining results showed that BM administration ameliorated hepatic lipid accumulation in ethanolfed mice. Preventions of ethanol-induced hepatic injury by BM were reflected by markedly decreased serum and hepatic triglyceride(TG) and total cholesterol(TC) contents. Real-time PCR results showed that BM treatment significantly inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines m RNA expression in ethanol-fed mouse liver. Remarkably, the mechanism of action of BM was related to the reduction of ethanol-induced NF-κB and STAT3 phosphorylation levels in liver. In addition, BM treatment significantly inhibited ERK phosphorylation but not JNK and p38 of MAPK pathway. Taken together, our results demonstrate a beneficial effect of BM on ethanol-induced liver injury via a mechanism associated with inactivation of NF-κB, STAT3 and ERK pathway, which gives insight into the further evaluation of the therapeutic potential of BM for ALD.

Berbamine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of KU812 cells by increasing Smad3 activity

Objective: The cytotoxic effect of berbamine on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell line KU812 was evaluated,and the mechanisms of its action were explored.Methods: The effect of berbamine on the KU812 cell growth was determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay.Flow cytometry was used to profile cell cycle alteration upon berbamine treatment.Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to determine the transcripts of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) receptors (TβRs),Smad3,c-Myc,cyclin D1,p21Cip1(p21),and p27Kip1(p27).Changes in the protein levels of total Smad3,phosphorylated Smad3,the downstream targets of Smad3,and specific apoptosis-related factors were evaluated by Western blotting.Results: Berbamine inhibited KU812 cell proliferation in a doseand time-dependent manner,and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for treatments of 24,48,and 72 h were 5.83,3.43,and 0.75 μg/ml,respectively.Berbamine induced G1 arrest as well as apoptosis in KU812 cells.Transcriptions of Smad3 and p21 were up-regulated,while those of TβRI,TβRII,c-Myc,cyclin D1 and p27 were not changed significantly.The protein levels of both total Smad3 and phosphorylated Smad3 were both up-regulated after berbamine treatment,together with decreased c-Myc and cyclin D1 and increased p21.Meanwhile,the levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins,such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL,were decreased,whereas pro-apoptotic Bax was increased.Conclusions: Berbamine suppresses KU812 cell proliferation through induction of cell cycle arrest in G1 and apoptosis.It activates Smad3 without additional stimulation of TGF-β,and alters the levels of the Smad3 downstream targets,including c-Myc,cyclin D1 and p21.Our findings suggest that berbamine is a promising drug in the treatment of advanced stage patients with CML.

Repurposing of berbamine hydrochloride to inhibit Ebola virus by targeting viral glycoprotein

Ebola virus(EBOV)infection leads to staggeringly high mortality rate.Effective and low-cost treatments are urgently needed to control frequent EBOV outbreaks in Africa.In this study,we report that a natural compound called berbamine hydrochloride strongly inhibits EBOV replication in vitro and in vivo.Our work further showed that berbamine hydrochloride acts by directly binding to the cleaved EBOV glycoprotein(GPcl),disrupting GPcl interaction with viral receptor Niemann-Pick C1,thus blocking the fusion of viral and cellular membranes.Our data support the probability of developing anti-EBOV small molecule drugs by targeting viral GPcl.More importantly,since berbamine hydrochloride has been used in clinic to treat leukopenia,it holds great promise of being quickly repurposed as an anti-EBOV drug.

New Collection of Crude Drugs in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 II.Sankezhen(Berberis spp.)

Sankezhen(Berberidis Radix)is a traditional Chinese materia medica,cold in nature and bitter in taste,for treating syndromes of liver,stomach,and large intestinal meridians,in which berberine and berbamine are the major pharmacological components.Sankezhen has been readmitted in Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010 following the 1977 version as the roots of Berberis spp.e.g.B.soulieana,B.wilsonae,B.poiretii,B.vernae,etc.Recent studies showed that Berberis spp.were potential phytomedicines with multiple spectrums therapeutic effects and various pharmaceutical parts.Here we reviewed Sankezhen in traditional use and phytochemistry,and its major active components berberine and berbamine with potential bioactivities recently discovered,such as antitumor,antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic,anti-arrhythmic,and neuro-protective activities.It is necessary to mature the quality assessment of Sankezhen as a new admission of Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010.Other parts of Berberis spp.should be investigated to better develop this herb in medicinal usage.