Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance Alpinia officinarum Hance, a perennial natural medicine-food herb, has been traditionally used to treat colds, stomachache, and diabetes for thousands of years. 1,7-Diphenyl-4E-en-3-heptanone (DPH5), a diarylheptanoid isolated from the rhizome of A. officinarum has been reported to be safe and to have antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects, suggesting its potential in the treatment of insulin resistance (IR). Aim of the study : Aim of to investigate the protective effect of DPH5 on IR and elucidate its underlying mechanism of action. Materials and methods HepG2 cells were used as the research objects. Glucose uptake and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in high glucose–induced insulin-resistant HepG2 cells were assessed using flow cytometry. Glucose consumption and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were analyzed using the corresponding assay kits. The expression of mRNA and proteins related to insulin signaling, glucose metabolism, and antioxidant factor, including insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), translocation of glucose transporter-4, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), glucokinase (GCK), pyruvate kinase (PK), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NADPH quinoneoxidoreductase (NQO1), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was determined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting . Furthermore, molecular docking was performed to determine the spatial mechanism of DPH5 on the key targets PI3K, AKT, Nrf2 , and GSK3β. Results DPH5 could improve IR that manifested as increased glucose uptake and glucose consumption in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. Moreover, DPH5 could enhance