Berberine Complex

Berberine (BBR) 

Enhances antibiotic resistance by inhibiting the biofilm formation. 1

BBR has the potential to augment the effectiveness of antibiotics by modulating host immunity or by restoring the host’s gut microbiota to modulate its inflammatory response to infection. 1

Met(S) - Improves liver enzymes, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) patients. 2

Inflammatory acne, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. 3

BBR as an Antibiotic Adjuvant Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. 3

Improves fertility in women with PCOS. 4

BBR is the only botanical compound included in European guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemia, and it is also used in patients who cannot tolerate statins. 5

Alleviates neurodegenerative diseases by regulating neuroinflammation and autophagy. 6

Berberine Antibiotic /Adjunct Multi Drug Resistance (MDR) extensive drug resistance (XDR)

Potentiation and Mechanism of Berberine as an Antibiotic Adjuvant Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. 

The growing global apprehension towards multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria necessitates the development of innovative strategies to combat these infections. Berberine (BER), an isoquinoline quaternary alkaloid derived from various medicinal plants, has surfaced as a promising antibiotic adjuvant due to its ability to enhance the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics against drug-resistant bacterial strains. (Zhou et al., 2023) review properties and mechanisms of BER as an adjunctive antibiotic against MDR bacteria. BER has been observed to exhibit synergistic effects when co-administered with a range of antibiotics, including β-lactams, quinolones, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides, lincosamides and fusidic acid. 

Modern pharmacological research has demonstrated that BER exhibits inhibitory effects on a broad range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, rendering it effective in treating gastrointestinal infections and bacterial dysentery.

BER has been reported to exhibit synergistic effects with the carbapenem antibiotic imipenem, the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin, and several aminoglycoside antibiotics in vitro susceptibility tests against multi-drug resistance (MDR) or extensive drug resistance (XDR) P. aeruginosa.

Abstracts

Berberine—A Promising Therapeutic Approach to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Infertile/Pregnant Women

Life (Basel). 2023 Jan 2;13(1):125. doi:10.3390/life13010125

"Berberine is an alkaloid with a high concentration in various medicinal herbs that exhibits a hypoglycaemic effect alongside a broad range of other therapeutic activities. Its medical benefits may stand up for treating different conditions, including diabetes mellitus. So far, a small number of pharmacological/clinical trials available in the English language draw attention towards the good results of berberine’s use in PCOS women with insulin resistance for improving fertility and pregnancy outcomes."

Polycystic ovary syndrome management: a review of the possible amazing role of berberine.

Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-020-05450-4

"Berberine induced a redistribution of adipose tissue, reducing VAT in the absence of weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity, quite like metformin. One author dem- onstrated that berberine improved the lipid pattern. Moreover, three authors demonstrated that berberine improved insulin resistance in theca cells with an improvement of the ovulation rate per cycle, so berberine is also effective on fertility and live birth rates."

Berberine alleviates enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-induced intestinal mucosal barrier function damage in a piglet model by modulation of the intestinal microbiome.

Front Nutr. 2025 Jan 14:11:1494348. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1494348

"Berberine increased jejunal villus height, villus/crypt ratio, mucosal thickness (P < 0.05), and goblet cell numbers in the villi and crypts (P < 0.05). Furthermore, berberine increased the optical density of mucin 2 and the mucin 2, P-glycoprotein, and CYP3A4 mRNA expression levels (P < 0.05). Berberine increased the expressions of zonula occludins-1 (ZO-1), zonula occludins-2 (ZO-2), Claudin-1, Occludin, and E-cadherin in the ileum (P < 0.05). Moreover, berberine increased the expression of BCL2, reduced intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis (P < 0.05) and decreased the expression of BAX and BAK in the duodenum and jejunum, as well as that of CASP3 and CASP9 in the duodenum and ileum (P < 0.05). Berberine decreased the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and IFN-γ (P < 0.05) and elevated total volatile fatty acids, acetic acid, propionic acid, valeric acid, and isovaleric acid concentrations (P < 0.05). Notably, berberine enhanced the abundance of beneficial bacteria including Enterococcus, Holdemanella, Weissella, Pediococcus, Muribaculum, Colidextribacter, Agathobacter, Roseburia, Clostridium, Fusicatenibacter, and Bifidobacterium. Simultaneously, the relative abundance of harmful and pathogenic bacteria, such as Prevotella, Paraprevotella, Corynebacterium, Catenisphaera, Streptococcus, Enterobacter, and Collinsella, decreased (P < 0.05)."

Berberine exhibits antioxidative effects and reduces apoptosis of the vaginal epithelium in bacterial vaginosis.

Ma, X., Deng, J., Cui, X., Chen, Q., & Wang, W. (2019). Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 18(3), 2122–2130. PMID: 31410167

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common type of vaginitis. Berberine is a natural alkaline product that reduces oxidative stress and apoptosis in cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of berberine on oxidative stress and apoptotic rates of BV. Vaginal epithelial and discharge samples were obtained from 60 healthy individuals and 180 patients with BV before and after one month of berberine treatment. Clinical observation was documented for all patients before and after treatment for comparison. Additionally, an in vitro study was performed; the samples were divided into groups the following groups: Control, model (H2O2-treated), LT (low-dose berberine), MT (medium-dose berberine) and HT (high-dose berberine). Expression levels of the oxidative stress related proteins were detected by western blotting. Clinical symptoms of patients with BV significantly improved following berberine treatment. Oxidative stress in vaginal discharge was significantly lower following treatment, indicated by the increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, as well as the reduced levels of malondialdehyde and H2O2. Apoptosis of the vaginal epithelial cells was also reduced, which was indicated by the reduced expression of apoptosis proteins caspase-3, cytochrome C, capase-12 and Bax, and increased expression of Bcl-2. The results of the in vitro experiments demonstrated a dose-dependent decrease in apoptosis with berberine treatment compared with levels before treatment. Oxidative stress relief was demonstrated by the reduced reactive oxygen species level and increased SOD and endothelial nitric oxide synthase levels, whereas suppression of apoptosis was further supported by the reduction in apoptotic proteins, as well as a decreased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Berberine exhibited effects on lowering oxidative stress in vaginal discharge and reducing oxidative damage, as well as apoptosis of the vaginal epithelium, which are beneficial to patients with bacterial vaginosis.

References

1. Zhou, H., Wang, W., Cai, L., & Yang, T. (2023). Potentiation and Mechanism of Berberine as an Antibiotic Adjuvant Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. Infect Drug Resist, 16, 7313-7326.
2. Nie, Q., Li, M., Huang, C., Yuan, Y., Liang, Q., Ma, X., Qiu, T., & Li, J. (2024). The clinical efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Journal of Translational Medicine, 22(1), 225.
3. Berberine shows antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties in inflammatory acne.3 Sun, L., Yu, Q., Peng, F., Sun, C., Wang, D., Pu, L., Xiong, F., Tian, Y., Peng, C., & Zhou, Q. (2023). The antibacterial activity of berberine against Cutibacterium acnes: its therapeutic potential in inflammatory acne. Front Microbiol, 14, 1276383.
4. Xie, L., Zhang, D., Ma, H., He, H., Xia, Q., Shen, W., Chang, H., Deng, Y., Wu, Q., Cong, J., Wang, C. C., & Wu, X. (2019). The Effect of Berberine on Reproduction and Metabolism in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Control Trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2019, 7918631.
5. Rondanelli, M., Infantino, V., Riva, A., Petrangolini, G., Faliva, M. A., Peroni, G., Naso, M., Nichetti, M., Spadaccini, D., Gasparri, C., & Perna, S. (2020). Polycystic ovary syndrome management: a review of the possible amazing role of berberine. Arch Gynecol Obstet, 301(1), 53-60.
6. Sunhe YX, Zhang YH, Fu RJ, Xu DQ, Tang YP. Neuroprotective effect and preparation methods of berberine. Front Pharmacol. 2024 Sep 6;15:1429050. doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1429050. PMID: 39309003; PMCID: PMC11412855