Effect of chromium citrate on the mechanism of glucose transport and insulin resistance in Buffalo rat liver cells.
OBJECTIVE
Our published literature indicated that chromium citrate could regulate the glycemic index in alloxaninduced diabetic mice. The present study investigated the mechanism of chromium citrate in insulin resistance (IR) buffalo rat liver (BRL) cells.


MATERIALS And METHODS
Chromium citrate was synthesized in our laboratory. BRL cells were purchased from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Cell Bank. The glucose transport and IR affected by chromium citrate in BRL cells were examined. The Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide (MTT) and glucose assay experiments were measured by microplate ELISA reader. The protein kinase B (Akt), glucose transporter-4 (Glut4), and phosphor-AMP-activated protein kinase β1 levels were tested by Western blot, and the mRNA expression of glucose transport proteins (Akt2, Glut4, and AMPactivated protein kinase α2 (AMPKα2)) and insulin sensitivity proteins (insulin receptor substrate1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)) was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
The results indicated that the glucose absorption level of chromium citrate groups was higher than model group significantly. It demonstrated that chromium citrate could significantly improve glucose absorption in IR BRL cells. The Akt, Glut4, and phosphor-AMPKβ1 levels in chromium citrate groups (at doses of 0.4, 0.2, and 0.1 μg Cr/mL) were markedly improved when compared with the other experiment groups, and chromium citrate could more effectively increase the Akt level than chromium trichloride. In addition, the mRNA expression of Akt2, Glut4, and AMPKα2 in chromium citrate groups was significantly improved when contrasted with model group.


CONCLUSION
The consequences illustrated that chromium citrate can affect the IR BRL cells' ameliorating glucose transport and IR.
['Zhang|Weijie|W|', 'Chen|Hui|H|', 'Ding|Yangyang|Y|', 'Xiang|Qingfang|Q|', 'Zhao|Jie|J|', 'Feng|Weiwei|W|', 'Yang|Liuqing|L|']
D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases D000818:Animals D002470:Cell Survival D002478:Cells, Cultured D017608:Chromium Compounds D005947:Glucose D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4 D055504:Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins D007333:Insulin Resistance D008099:Liver D047495:PPAR gamma D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt D011915:Rats, Inbred BUF
Western blot glucose absorption Diabetes mellitus reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction