Berberine chloride hydrate

Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid that has been found in C. fenestratum and has diverse biological activities.^1,2,3,4,5 It induces frameshift mutations and gene crossovers in haploid and diploid strains of S. cerevisiae in the exponential growth phase, respectively, when used at a concentration of 50 ?g/ml.² Berberine is active against the S. aureus strains ATCC 25922 and NCTC 8530 (MIC = 250 ?g/ml for both).³ It decreases contusion volume, ventricle enlargement, and neurological deficits in a mouse model of controlled cortical impact-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) when administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg.⁴ Berberine (50 mg/kg) reduces serum LDL cholesterol levels in hamsters fed a high-fat high-cholesterol diet.⁵

1.Malhotra, S., Taneja, S.C., and Dhar, K.L.Minor alkaloid from Coscinium fenestratumPhytochem.28(7)1998-1999(1989) 2.Pasqual, M.S., Lauer, C.P., Moyna, P., et al.Genotoxicity of the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organismsMutat. Res.286(2)243-252(1993) 3.Iwasa, K., Kamigauchi, M., Ueki, M., et al.Antibacterial activity and structure-activity relationships of berberine analogsEur. J. Med. Chem.31(6)469-478(1996) 4.Chen, C.C., Hung, T.H., Lee, C.Y., et al.Berberine protects against neuronal damage via suppression of glia-mediated inflammation in traumatic brain injuryPLoS One9(12)e115694(2014) 5.Kong, W., Wei, J., Abidi, P., et al.Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statinsNat. Med.10(12)1344-1351(2004)