A safer hypoglycemic agent for type 2 diabetes—Berberine organic acid salt

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) often leads to metabolic disorders. Hyperchloraemia, a common electrolyte metabolic disorder and caused by excessive intake of chloride-containing acidic agents. Thus, while berberine hydrochloride (BH) elicits a good hypoglycaemic effect, its nearly 10% chloride ion component is a potential hazard for T2D patients. In this study, we prepared four berberine organic acid salts (BOAs), including berberine citrate, berberine malate, berberine succinate, and berberine fumarate. T2D rats were administered BH or BOAs (500   mg/kg   d) for 6   weeks. The body weights and levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance index in administered rats were normal. Levels of Na + , K + , Cl − , HCO 3 − , pH, pCO 2 and ‘ base excess (BE) in BH group showed significant differences compared with normal rats. These results suggest that BOAs are comparable to BH in terms of hypoglycaemic effects, but superior with regard to safety from hyperchloraemia in T2D rats.