Berberine induced improvement in hepatic steatosis index in overweight dyslipidaemic patients treated with lipid-lowering nutraceuticals

Liver steatosis is a common feature of overweight dyslipidaemic patients, suggested by some recent literature to increase the risk cardiovascular disease. Preliminary data suggest that berberine can improve liver steatosis. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of berberine in dyslipidaemic patients treated with a standardized lipid-lowering nutraceutical with or without berberine. 39 subjects (19 M, 20 W) affected by mixed dyslipidemia (LDL-C>130 mg/dL and TG>200 mg/dL) and liver steatosis were randomized to be treated with a Monascus puipureus (3 mg monakoline) lipid-lowering nutraceutical or with Monascus pmpureus plus berberine (Armolipid Plus (R)) for 8 weeks. The effect on liver was evaluated monitoring Hepatic Steatosis Index [8 x (GPT/GOT ratio) + BMI (+2 if women; +2 if DM). All patients tolerated the treatment. No increase in transaminases was observed. Both treatments experienced a significant improvement of LDL-C cholesterolemia (-22%), whereas only berberine-monascus lowered significantly TG (-25%). Considering HSI, it did not change in monascus treated patients (T0=362 +/- 2.0 vs T8= 35.5 +/- 1.4 p>0.05), while it significantly improved in the berberine-monascus treated ones (T0=365 +/- 1.8 vs T8= 35.3 +/- 1.3, t= 4.750, p<0.001). A short term treatment with berberine-monascus was associated to a significant improvement in HIS in mixed dyslipidemia patients.