Berberine inhibits intracellular Ca signals in mouse pancreatic acinar cells through M muscarinic receptors: Novel target, mechanism, and implication.

Berberine, a natural isoquinoline alkaloid, exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects, but the pharmacological targets and mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we report a novel finding that berberine inhibits acetylcholine (ACh)-induced intracellular Ca oscillations, mediated through an inhibition of the muscarinic subtype 3 (M) receptor. Patch-clamp recordings and confocal Ca imaging were applied to acute dissociated pancreatic acinar cells prepared from CD1 mice to examine the effects of berberine on ACh-induced Ca oscillations.

4-Methoxydalbergione is a potent inhibitor of human astroglioma U87 cells in vitro and in vivo.

Astroglioma is the most common primary tumor in the central nervous system without effective treatment strategies. Temozolomide (TMZ) is a chemotherapeutic drug to treat astroglioma but exhibits low potency and has side effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new compounds to treat astroglioma.