Dr Caiping Wang looks at the potential of Diaban, a Chinese herbal medicine designed by modern biotechnology and traditional Chinese medicine, in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder caused by a lack of insulin or defect in glucose. It is a worldwide disorder affecting a wide population. This is incentive enough to search for an effective drug for this life long condition.
The agents most widely used for diabetes mellitus include: Sulfonylurea drugs, such as Glybenclamide, Glurnorm and Damicton. These drugs can stimulate the insulin release. Biguanides drugs, such as DBI and Metformi, can both increase insulin sensitivity and help reduce hyperglycemia. Alpha-glucosidease inhibitors, such as Acarbose can slow down the degradation of carbohydrates in the intestine by reversing inhibiting alpha-glucosidase located in the intestine pilli. This could reduce blood glucose concentration after meals.
There are also semi-Chinese medicines, such as Xiaokewan (a pill for polydipsia), and some microelements products. Diaban is a pure Chinese herbal medicine being developed for treatment of hyperglycemia. It has shown fast blood sugar reduction without side-effects.
Diabetes mellitus is known in traditional Chinese medicine as Xiao Ke, a disease characterised by polydispsia, polyphagia and polyuria. In the book Huang Di Nei Jing as early as in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), it was explained "that an individual is subjected to diabetes mellitus when his inner organs are not functioning well, and the balance of yin-yang is disturbed in his body. The essence of kidneys, classified as yin, is fundamental for this balance.“
The weakening function of the kidney is closely related to the occurrence of diabetes mellitus. Diet and stress can also contribute to it. Diabetic patients, in whom yin is deficient, may have an abnormal appetite but are very weak. Based upon this principle, Diaban was designed to bring back the yin-yang balance, help to restore pancreatic beta cells growth and function, which improves the major symptoms of Diabetes mellitus.
Diaban, invented by Beijing Meihua Hengtong Science and Technology Development Corporation Ltd, is composed of six different Chinese herbs. One of the species was cultivated individually and the rest were sourced from a Chinese herbal market.
All the ingredients of Diaban were processed from crude materials via commonly used modern biotechnology process. The physical characters of Diaban are that it is brown-coloured powder and tastes a little bitter. After being dissolved in water, the relative density of primary liquid is 1.036, pH 5.6 and that of the 1:8 diluted liquid is 1.004, pH 5.8, which is for animal testing.
Mechanisms of Diaban for hyperglycemia:
1. Pancreatic Islet Beta Cells Resumption. Diaban has been tested on diabetic rabbits for the reduction of blood sugar and restoration of pancreatic islet beta cells growth. The data obtained from the experiment suggested that blood sugar reduction rate is dose dependent. Pathology observation showed that after being treated by Diaban (500mg/kg), pancreatic islet cells have recovered from damage and possibly restored function.
2. Increasing glucose tolerance factor (GTF) Activity. The structure, function of insulin and the sensitivity of the insulin receptor are directly affected by the amount of GTF and its activity. The functional component of GTF is Cr3+. Cr3+ is deficient in both type I and type II diabetic patients; blood sugar was built up because of the decreased glucose tolerance. Our trail drug, Diaban, is rich in Cr3+, which restores the GTF activity to normal in diabetic patients. Cr3+ can also combine with nicotinic acid and activates certain enzymes involved in glucose metabolising.
Future perspectives
Diaban is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for hyperglycemia, designed by a combination of biotechnology and traditional Chinese medicine. Diaban shows faster reduction of blood sugar than other diabetic drugs, such as Glybenclamide. It can reduce serum lipids, restore pancreatic beta cells growth, without side effects. The preliminary data from clinical practice has given good feed back of Diaban on blood sugar reduction. Diaban is set to be processed as capsules and also can be placed in food as part of the diabetic's daily intake.
ENQUIRY No 96
Dr Caiping Wang is with Beijing Meihua Hengtong Science and Technology Development Co Ltd, Beijing, China. www.beijing-meihua.com
