The therapeutic benefits of berberine and its effectiveness compared to metformin

Аннотация

Berberine is a plant extract that exhibits an impressive array of therapeutic properties, including CITATION accelerated weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, Karim Chubin. (2025). The therapeutic benefits of berberine and its and protection from numerous chronic, degenerative effectiveness compared to metformin. The American Journal of Medical diseases. Berberine exerts its effects in several ways, Sciences and Pharmaceutical Research, 7(02), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.37547/tajmspr/Volume07Issue02-09 including by activating AMP- activated protein kinase (AMPK), an enzyme that governs metabolism and maintains whole-body energy homeostasis. Since AMPK influences the ageing process, long-term berberine COPYRIGHT consumption may extend lifespan by decelerating one’s © 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License. rate of ageing. Besides its impact on AMPK, berberine also profoundly alters the gut microbiome, specifically in ways that reduce metabolic endotoxemia, a condition that promotes obesity and other metabolic disorders. Berberine’s physiological effects are similar to those of metformin, but in comparative studies, berberine either matches or outperforms metformin. Considering metformin’s minor side effects, berberine’s absence of side effects, and berberine’s therapeutic potential against neurological degenerative diseases and a host of other chronic conditions, berberine is quickly gaining recognition for being one of the most powerful and most effective nutritional agents for weight loss, disease prevention, anti-ageing, and overall wellness. Keywords: Activated protein kinase (AMPK), ageing process, long-term berberine consumption. Introduction: Berberine is a bitter-tasting, vibrant yellow alkaloid, which is extracted from the roots, rhizomes, and stem bark of many plants, including Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), Coptis chinensis (coptis or golden thread), Berberis aquifolium (Oregon grape), Berberis vulgaris (barberry), and Berberis aristata (tree turmeric). Berberine has been used therapeutically for at least 3,000 years, including The American Journal of Medical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Research 65 https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajmspr The American Journal of Medical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Research extensive use in Traditional Chinese Medicine and With respect to AMPK’s energy regulation, we are Ayurvedic Medicine.1 referring specifically to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the so-called “molecular currency” of intracellular Despite its long, illustrious history, interest in energy transfer, a molecule that stores and transports berberine has surged during the past decade. The chemical energy within the cells. AMPK is activated PubMed database, for example, contains roughly when the ratio between 5’-adenosine monophosphate 4,700 published articles referencing berberine, 2,800 (AMP) and ATP becomes too high. To restore cellular of which have been published during the past ten energy homeostasis, AMPK activates catabolic years. The recent buzz surrounding berberine isn’t pathways that generate ATP, including the burning of surprising, considering the wide array of therapeutic excess fat (fatty acid oxidation).11 Simultaneously, benefits attributed to the molecule. For example, AMPK switches off ATP- consuming activities that aren’t research shows berberine to be protective against essential to short-term cell survival, including almost all cancer, obesity, inflammation, atherosclerosis, anabolic pathways (e.g. fatty acid synthesis, sterol neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, synthesis, cell growth and proliferation).12 cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various metabolic disorders, plus many other benefits.2, 3, 4, Besides burning fat cells, AMPK also improves blood 5 For those seeking a “panacea” nutritional glucose homeostasis and lipid profiles, while preventing supplement, which promotes overall wellbeing and insulin resistance, partly by inhibiting pathways that even has anti- ageing properties, berberine is a prime antagonize insulin signaling.13 In simpler terms, as the candidate. master regulator of metabolism, AMPK prevents energy balance disorders, including type-2 diabetes and This review focuses on berberine’s usefulness in obesity, as well as metabolic derangements, including weight loss while examining the two primary cancer and various inflammatory diseases. Since being mechanisms by which berberine exerts its powerful discovered and formally defined in the late 1980s, over therapeutic effects, namely by activating AMP- 9,000 papers have been published concerning the AMPK activated protein kinase (AMPK) and by modulating system.14, 15 the gut microbiome. We also compare berberine with metformin, one of the most widely prescribed Berberine is a potent AMPK activator, which has been pharmaceutical drugs for treating diabetes. Finally, we demonstrated to activate AMPK in bot