Abstract:Objective To investigate the activities and possible mechanisms of gastrodin (GSTD) to promote glucose consumption in L6 myotubes. Methods Rat L6 skeletal muscle cells were cultured in vitro and differentiated into myotubes. After serum starvation, GSTD was used to treat the myotubes for 24 h, either alone or in combination with insulin at a concentration of 0.05 nmol/L. Metformin (Met) was used a positive control drug. In some experiments, L6 myotubes were treated with 100 nmol/L of insulin for 24 h to induce insulin resistance before drug treatment. Commercial kits were used to determine cell glucose consumption, L-lactate release, and ATP production. The expression levels of target proteins and genes were determined by Western blot and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Results GSTD promoted the basal glucose consumption of L6 myotubes in a concentration-dependent manner [comparing with control cells, the diferences were statistically significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)]. In addition, GSTD greatly increased the insulin-stimulated glucose consumption [comparing with cells treated with insulin or GSTD alone, the diferences were statistically significant (P < 0.05)]. In a state of insulin resistance, GSTD at a concentration of 500 μmol/L was still effective to promote cell glucose consumption (P < 0.05). After treatment, Met significantly increased cellular L-lactate release but decreased ATP production [comparing with control cells, the diferences were highly statistically significant (P < 0.01)]. However, GSTD did not have such effects. GSTD greatly up-regulated the protein and mRNA expression levels of GLUT4 in L6 myotubes. In addition, it activated the AMPK and Akt pathways, as indicated by the significant increase of p-AMPKα and p-Akt levels after treatment [comparing with control cells, the diferences were statistically significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01)]. Conclusion When used to treat L6 myotubes, GSTD greatly increases glucose consumption and is able to overcome insulin resistance. The mechanisms may be associated with the up-regulation of GLUT4 as well as the activation of AMPK and Akt pathways.
张勇 孔维佳. 天麻素在L6肌管中促进葡萄糖消耗的作用和机制研究[J]. 中国医药导报, 2019, 16(4): 22-25.
ZHANG Yong KONG Weijia. Study of the effects and mechanisms of gastrodin to promote glucose consumption in L6 myotubes. 中国医药导报, 2019, 16(4): 22-25.