Obesity and insulin resistance affect metabolic reactions, but their ensuing contributions to macrophage metabolism remain insufficiently understood. We investigated the contributions of berberine and metformin combination to the inhibition of sebocyte apoptosis in high‐fat diet‐induced diabetic hamsters and an insulin‐treated human cell line. Golden hamsters were fed a high‐glucose high‐fat diet and administered a 6‐week treatment with a combination of metformin and two concentrations of berberine (100 or 50 mg·kg⁻¹). Body weights of treated hamsters were remarkably reduced compared with those of controls. Histological examination indicated that berberine repressed liver fat accumulation. Moreover, insulin and glucose concentrations were noticeably decreased by the combination treatments. In glucose tolerance tests, hamsters receiving berberine displayed higher tolerance to glucose, compared with the control group. Sebocytes isolated from high‐fat diet‐induced diabetic hamsters and insulin‐treated human sebocytes displayed elevated cell death rates, which were attenuated by berberine and metformin treatments. Further studies showed that the effects of metformin and berberine on cellular apoptosis were mediated via the Bik pathway. Thus, berberine may effectively decrease circulating glucose levels, ameliorate insulin resistance, reduce body weight, and attenuate sebocyte apoptosis in diabetic hamsters, potentially decreasing vulnerability to the cardiovascular complications of diabetes.

中文翻译：

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二甲双胍和小ber碱的组合抑制高脂饮食诱导的糖尿病仓鼠和胰岛素治疗的人细胞系中皮脂细胞的凋亡。

肥胖和胰岛素抵抗会影响代谢反应，但它们对巨噬细胞代谢的后续贡献仍知之甚少。我们研究了小ber碱和二甲双胍联合用药对高脂饮食诱导的糖尿病仓鼠和胰岛素治疗的人细胞系中皮脂细胞凋亡的抑制作用。给金仓鼠喂高糖高脂饮食，并用二甲双胍和两种浓度的小ber碱（100或50 mg·kg ^-1）。与对照组相比，处理过的仓鼠的体重显着降低。组织学检查表明，小ber碱抑制肝脂肪积累。而且，联合治疗显着降低了胰岛素和葡萄糖的浓度。在葡萄糖耐量试验中，与对照组相比，接受小ber碱的仓鼠对葡萄糖的耐受性更高。从高脂饮食诱导的糖尿病仓鼠和胰岛素处理的人皮脂细胞中分离出的皮脂细胞显示出较高的细胞死亡率，而黄连素和二甲双胍治疗可减轻这种情况。进一步的研究表明，二甲双胍和小ber碱对细胞凋亡的影响是通过Bik途径介导的。因此，小ber碱可有效降低循环葡萄糖水平，改善胰岛素抵抗，减轻体重，