Comparison of the regulatory effects of flavonoids and saponins from Eclipta prostrate on insulin resistance in HepG2 cells

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is prevalent in the world while research on its pathogenesis and treatment is still unsatisfactory. Active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines including Eclipta prostrata have been gradually applied to cure various diseases and many in vitro studies have revealed that E. Prostrata has a good hypoglycemic effect. The main objective of this research was to investigate the isolation of E. Prostrata flavonoids (EPFs) and saponins (EPSs), chemical constituents and their hypoglycemic effect on IR-HepG2 cells as well as the potential mechanisms. We determined of the Chemical Constituent was using UPLC-HESI/MS/MS to clarify its chemical substance basis; We established of insulin resistant HepG2 cell line (IR-HepG2) model to evaluate on insulin resistance; We examined Glucose and lipid metabolism, regulate antioxidant system, mitochondrial function as well as APN/AMPK and IRS-1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in IR-HepG2 cells treated with EPFs and EPSs to further explore the mechanisms of EPFs and EPSs hypoglycemic activity. The results showed that E. Prostrata extractions treatment could promote glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, reduce lipid accumulation, improve mitochondrial function and reduce ROS production in IR-HepG2 cells. In particular, both EPFs and EPSs perform preferable activation in glucose consumption than metformin hydrochloride (MET). Further results suggest that EPFs and EPSs may play a role in lowering blood glucose through APN/AMPK and IRS-1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. These results suggested that E. Prostrata extractions ideal hypoglycemic activity and worthy of further study.