Triterpenoid Saponins from Stauntonia chinensis Ameliorate Insulin Resistance via the AMP-Activated Protein Kinase and IR/IRS-1/PI3K/Akt Pathways in Insulin-Resistant HepG2 Cells

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Xin Hu¹  Sha Wang¹  Jing Xu¹  De-Bing Wang¹  Yu Chen² 

[1] Laboratory for Natural Products Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, South Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China; E-Mails:;College of Chemistry and Material Sciences, South Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China; E-Mail:

关键词: Stauntonia chinensis;    insulin-resistance;    AMPK;    IR/IRS-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway;    HepG2 cells;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms150610446

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Inflammation and oxidative stress play crucial roles in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, we examined the anti-diabetic effects of triterpenoid saponins extracted from Stauntonia chinensis on stimulating glucose uptake by insulin-resistant human HepG2 cells. The results showed that saponin 6 significantly increased glucose uptake and glucose catabolism. Saponin 6 also enhanced the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and activated the insulin receptor (IR)/insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)/phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. Therefore, our results suggest that saponins from S. chinensis improve glucose uptake and catabolism in hepatic cells by stimulating the AMPK and the IR/IRS-1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. The results also imply that saponins from S. chinensis can enhance glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity, representing a promising treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.