Abstract
Blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) were randomly assigned into three diets: normal-carbohydrate diet (NCD, 30% carbohydrate, w/w), high-carbohydrate diet (HCD, 43% carbohydrate), and HCB (HCD supplemented with 50 mg/kg berberine (BBR)). After 10 weeks’ feeding trial, the results showed that higher levels of plasma glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol were observed in HCD-fed fish than in NCD-fed fish, while HCB feeding significantly ameliorated this effect. Moreover, HCB feeding remarkably reversed HCD-induced hepatic glycogen and lipid contents. In insulin signaling, BBR inclusion restored HCD-induced suppression of insulin receptor substrate mRNA expression and elevation of forkhead transcription factor 1 mRNA expression. In glucose metabolism, upregulated glucose transporter 2 and glycogen synthase mRNA expressions in the HCD group were observed compared to the NCD group. However, BBR adding reduced the mRNA expressions of glycogen synthase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and glucose-6-phosphatase and increased the transcriptional levels of glucose transporter 2 and pyruvate kinase. In lipid metabolism, BBR supplementation could reverse downregulated hepatic carnitine palmitoyl transferase I mRNA expression and upregulated hepatic acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase mRNA expressions in the HCD group. Taken together, it demonstrates that BBR could improve glucose metabolism of this species via enhancing liver’s glycolysis and insulin signaling, while inhibiting liver’s glycogen synthesis and gluconeogenesis. It also indicates that BBR could reduce the metabolic burden of the liver by inhibiting fat synthesis and promoting lipid decomposition, and then enhance fat uptake in peripheral tissues.
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This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31972801) and the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-45-14).
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Chang He: writing—original draft, writing—reviewing and editing, software, data curation, investigation, and resources.
Xiaoyan Jia: software, conceptualization, and data curation.
Li Zhang: supervision and conceptualization.
Fan Gao: writing—reviewing and editing.
Weibo Jiang: investigation and resources.
Chuang Wen: investigation and resources.
Cheng Chi: software and methodology.
Xiangfei Li: conceptualization.
Guangzhen Jiang: conceptualization.
Haifeng Mi: feed formulation and consultation.
Wenbin Liu: funding acquisition and conceptualization.
Dingdong Zhang: funding acquisition, project administration, supervision, and writing—reviewing and editing.
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He, C., Jia, X., Zhang, L. et al. Dietary berberine can ameliorate glucose metabolism disorder of Megalobrama amblycephala exposed to a high-carbohydrate diet. Fish Physiol Biochem 47, 499–513 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-021-00927-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-021-00927-8