We aimed to analyze the action of berberine on the neuropathic pain and neuroglia activation in experimental diabetes mellitus (DM) model. Diabetes in mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) followed by the administration of berberine. Mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia and activations of microglia and astrocytes were evaluated. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and protein expressions of inflammatory proteins were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot, respectively. Our results revealed the anti-nociceptive effects of berberine in DM mice, supported by the improved mechanical threshold and thermal latency. In addition, berberine suppressed the activations of microglia and astrocytes in the spinal cords of diabetic mice. Berberine inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), along with inflammatory proteins including iNOS and COX-2. Berberine suppressed neuropathic pain in STZ-induced diabetic mice, and this effect is related to the reduction on the neuroglia activation and inflammation associated with DM.

中文翻译：

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小ber碱可减少链脲佐菌素诱导的糖尿病小鼠的神经胶质细胞活化和炎症。

我们旨在分析小ber碱在实验性糖尿病（DM）模型中对神经性疼痛和神经胶质细胞激活的作用。腹膜内注射链脲佐菌素（STZ），然后施用小ber碱，可诱发小鼠糖尿病。评估机械性异常性疼痛和热痛觉过敏以及小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞的激活。分别通过酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）和蛋白质印迹法评估促炎细胞因子水平和炎性蛋白的蛋白表达。我们的研究结果揭示了黄连素在DM小鼠中的抗伤害感受作用，并受到改善的机械阈值和热潜伏期的支持。此外，小ber碱抑制糖尿病小鼠脊髓中的小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞的活化。小ber碱抑制包括肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）-α，白介素6（IL-6）和白介素-1β（IL-1β）在内的促炎细胞因子以及包括iNOS和COX-2在内的炎性蛋白的表达。小ber碱抑制了STZ诱导的糖尿病小鼠的神经性疼痛，并且这种作用与神经胶质细胞激活和DM相关的炎症减少有关。