Metabolic and cardiovascular effects of berberine: from preclinical evidences to clinical trial results.

Berberine is a plant alkaloid with various biological activities. A large body of literature support different pharmacological actions of berberine that could be interesting in the management of metabolic diseases associated with high cardiovascular disease risk, such as mixed hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes. Numerous preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies support all these effects. Moreover, it seems that berberine also exerts anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects that could play a role in the development of atherosclerosis and its clinical consequences. Recently, the metabolic effects of berberine have also been demonstrated in humans, opening new perspectives for the use of this molecule in patient therapy. Larger and longer studies need to be carried out to implement the definition of the therapeutic role of berberine in humans.