[Effect of water extract of 4 Chinese herbal drugs on the binding of insulin with human erythrocyte insulin receptor].

Chinese herbal drugs, Trichosauthes kirilowii (TK), Polygonatum sibiricum (PS), Scrophularia ningpoensis (SN), Anemarrhea asphodeloides (AA) were selected for the study of their effects on the binding of insulin with human erythrocyte insulin receptor. The results indicated that TK, PS, SN did not increase nor decrease the insulin receptor binding rate, whereas AA provoked a marked inhibiting effect on the rate of binding (P less than 0.01). These findings cannot completely deny the beneficial effect of the compound prescription of these drugs in the treatment of diabetes mellitus because of the following reasons: (1) The experiments were done in vitro but not in vivo and the erythrocytes from normal men but not from diabetics. (2) The drugs were not put together during exaction as in the traditional manner, but was studied separately. (3) The fact that there is no effect on insulin receptor binding cannot rule out their beneficial effect on other aspects of insulin or insulin secretion even on the amelioration of tissue insulin resistance.