Berberine improves lipid dysregulation in obesity by controlling central and peripheral AMPK activity

Kim WS, Lee YS, Cha SH, Jeong HW, Choe SS, Lee M-R, Oh GT, Park H-S, Lee K-U, Lane MD, Kim JB. Berberine improves lipid dysregulation in obesity by controlling central and peripheral AMPK activity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 296: E812-E819, 2009. First published January 27, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.90710.2008.-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays an important role in regulating whole body energy homeostasis. Recently, it has been demonstrated that berberine (BBR) exerts antiobesity and antidiabetic effects in obese and diabetic rodent models through the activation of AMPK in peripheral tissues. Here we show that BBR improves lipid dysregulation and fatty liver in obese mice through central and peripheral actions. In obese db/db and ob/ob mice, BBR treatment reduced liver weight, hepatic and plasma triglyceride, and cholesterol contents. In the liver and muscle of db/db mice, BBR promoted AMPK activity and fatty acid oxidation and changed expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. Additionally, intracerebroventricular administration of BBR decreased the level of malonyl-CoA and stimulated the expression of fatty acid oxidation genes in skeletal muscle. Together, these data suggest that BBR would improve fatty liver in obese subjects, which is probably mediated not only by peripheral AMPK activation but also by neural signaling from the central nervous system.