dorsomorphin and higenamine

Hypoglycemic effect is an efficient means to modulate elevated blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes. We found that the extract of lotus plumule (the germ of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. seed) showed potent glucose uptake enhancement activity against L6 myotubes, which results in a hypoglycemic effect. This activity was further investigated, and an active constituent was identified as a single bioactive compound, higenamine 4'-O-β-d-glucoside. Mechanistic studies employing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor, or adrenergic receptor antagonist showed that the compound induced its activity through β2-adrenergic receptor. Patients with type II diabetes mellitus frequently develop insulin resistance. Owing to the differences between the mechanism of action of insulin and of the isolated compound, the compound or lotus plumule itself may have the possibility of modulating blood glucose levels in insulin-resistant patients effectively.

Topics: Adrenergic Antagonists; Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Alkaloids; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; Animals; Cell Line; Chromones; Gene Expression Regulation; Glucose; Glucosides; Hypoglycemic Agents; Mice; Morpholines; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal; Nelumbo; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; Plant Extracts; Propranolol; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Pyrazoles; Pyrimidines; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2; Seeds; Signal Transduction; Tetrahydroisoquinolines