Pharmacological Effects of the Water Fraction of Key Components in the Traditional Chinese Prescription Mai Tong Fang on 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and ob/ob Diabetic Mice
Liang Ma,
Li Huang,
Heying Pei,
Zhuowei Liu,
Caifeng Xie,
Lei Lei,
Xiaoxin Chen,
Haoyu Ye,
Aihua Peng,
Lijuan Chen
Affiliations
Liang Ma
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Li Huang
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Heying Pei
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Zhuowei Liu
Guangdong ZhongSheng Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Dongguan 440100, Guangdong, China
Caifeng Xie
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Lei Lei
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Xiaoxin Chen
Guangdong ZhongSheng Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Dongguan 440100, Guangdong, China
Haoyu Ye
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Aihua Peng
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Lijuan Chen
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
Mai Tong Fang (MTF), a Chinese herbal combination, has been used for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy in traditional medical clinics in China. However, the anti-adipogenic and anti-hyperglycemic effects of MTF have not been fully elucidated, so this study explored these pharmacological activities in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and ob/ob mice, respectively, of the water fraction of milkvetch root, salviae miltiorrhizae and mulberry as key components of MTF. MTF was found to inhibit adipogenesis and triglyceride accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Oral administration of MTF in ob/ob mice for 8 weeks, exhibited positive controls on blood glucose and body weight, and further improved glucose tolerance according to an oral glucose tolerance test. Importantly, MTF extract alleviated fat deposition and ballooning degeneration in liver tissue and blocked the increase of adipocyte size in adipose tissue from treated ob/ob mice. These results indicated that the extract of key components in the traditional Chinese prescription MTF continue a potent anti-adipogenic and glucose-lowering agent.
