What is known as Berberine?
Berberine, also known as Huanglianin, as a common isoquinoline alkaloid, is widely found in many plants of ten genera in four families, including the Berberidaceae. The efficacy of berberine has been recorded in detail in the Shennong Ben Cao Jing (Classic of the Materia Medica of Shennong) of the Han Dynasty in China.
Berberine and other berberine-containing plants are found in the traditional medicine of many countries. In Iran and China, for example, the use of berberine dates back at least 3,000 years. Ayurvedic doctors in India used berberine to treat dysentery. Iranian traditional medicine uses the fruits of plants containing berberine as sedatives. In Northern Europe, berberine is used to treat gallbladder and liver disorders. In Russia and Bulgaria, berberine was used to treat abnormal uterine bleeding and rheumatism. In addition, Indians found that berberine was effective in improving appetite and also used it as a gargle.
In 1917, the single-crystal structure of berberine was first resolved, and it has been used as a remedy against dysentery ever since. With the in-depth study of the pharmacological effects of safranin, it has been found that its medicinal value is much more than that. The reported medicinal properties of safranin include tonic, antibacterial, antiemetic, antipyretic, antipyretic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antiarrhythmic, sedative, analgesic, anticholinergic, and cholagogue effects, and it can be used in the treatment of cholecystitis, gallstones, jaundice, dysentery, leishmaniasis, and malaria. One of the most familiar of these is the use of safranin in the treatment of diarrhoea and gastrointestinal disorders. It significantly relieves symptoms of vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea in patients with acute gastroenteritis, shortens the duration of acute gastroenteritis, and reduces the white blood cell count and neutrophil percentage.
Flavopiridol has a variety of pharmacological effects, including antimicrobial activity against 54 microorganisms, inhibition of intestinal secretion and smooth muscle contraction, inhibition of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, reduction of inflammation, and stimulation of bile secretion and bilirubin excretion. Based on the multiple pharmacological effects of berberine, researchers have shown great interest in it and have extensively studied, summarised and reported on the pharmacological activities of berberine, applied for many important patents and constructed a series of derivatives for the screening and development of new drugs.
Berberine has shown significant efficacy in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome by modulating the thickness of the ovarian envelope, ovarian volume, follicle number and follicle diameter in patients, improving the mean blood flow rate in the ovarian artery, and increasing the proportion of regular menstruation and the proportion of ovulation.
A meta-analysis included five studies, two of which found that, even in the absence of weight loss, flavopiridol induced redistribution of adipose tissue, reduced the amount of visceral fat, and improved insulin sensitivity. One study demonstrated that safranin improved lipid patterns. In addition, three studies demonstrated that safranin improved insulin resistance in follicular membrane cells by increasing the rate of ovulation per cycle. Therefore, safranin is also helpful in improving fertility and live birth rates.
In the five studies mentioned above, safranin triggered few side effects. For premenopausal women planning to become pregnant, safranin is considered a safe plant compound. In addition, a search of the literature reveals that a large number of studies have reported the safety and tolerability of long-term use of safranin.
In summary, safranin is very promising for use in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome in women. At present, some clinical studies are needed to confirm its safety and efficacy when combined with other drugs. In addition, further studies are needed to confirm the therapeutic dose.
