Han Z, Wang ZT, Yang LQ, Heng XP. Regulatory effects of Dangua Fang on the NAMPT/NAD+/SIRT1 axis and amino acid metabolism in type 2 diabetic rats. World J Diabetes 2026; 17(7): 121202 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.121202]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xian-Pei Heng, MD, PhD, Professor, Chief Physician, Department of Endocrinology, People’s Hospital Affiliated with Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 162 Bayiqi Middle Road, Taijiang District, Fuzhou 350004, Fujian Province, China. hengxianpei@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
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research-article
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Han Z, Wang ZT, Yang LQ, Heng XP. Regulatory effects of Dangua Fang on the NAMPT/NAD+/SIRT1 axis and amino acid metabolism in type 2 diabetic rats. World J Diabetes 2026; 17(7): 121202 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.121202]
Zhuang Han, Zhi-Ta Wang, Liu-Qing Yang, Xian-Pei Heng, Department of Endocrinology, People’s Hospital Affiliated with Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350004, Fujian Province, China
Author contributions: Han Z and Heng XP designed the study; Han Z, Wang ZT, and Yang LQ performed the experiments; Han Z analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: AI tools (specifically ChatGPT) were used solely for linguistic refinement and formatting assistance. No AI tool was involved in the generation of research data, interpretation of results, or formulation of conclusions. All AI-generated outputs were critically reviewed and revised by the authors.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82274389 and No. 82205071.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, approval No. 2024072.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Corresponding author: Xian-Pei Heng, MD, PhD, Professor, Chief Physician, Department of Endocrinology, People’s Hospital Affiliated with Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 162 Bayiqi Middle Road, Taijiang District, Fuzhou 350004, Fujian Province, China. hengxianpei@hotmail.com
Received: March 18, 2026 Revised: May 12, 2026 Accepted: June 9, 2026 Published online: July 15, 2026 Processing time: 113 Days and 7.7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is not only a disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism, but also closely associated with disturbances in amino acid metabolism. Dangua Fang (DGF) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula used for the treatment of diabetes and has been shown to regulate amino acid metabolism. The nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT)/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)/sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) axis is closely linked to amino acid metabolism and plays an important role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis.
AIM
To investigate the regulatory effects of DGF on the hepatic NAMPT/NAD+/SIRT1 axis and amino acid metabolism in T2DM rats.
METHODS
A T2DM rat model was established by a high-glucose and high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin injection. Rats were randomly assigned into four groups, namely the control group, model group, DGF group (DFG, 20 g/kg), and metformin group (0.11 g/kg), with eight rats in each group. After 14 weeks of intervention, glucolipid metabolism-related indicators, expression of the NAMPT/NAD+/SIRT1 axis, and hepatic amino acid metabolism were evaluated.
RESULTS
Compared with the model group, the DFG and metformin groups exhibited significantly increased body weight and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), accompanied by reductions in fasting and postprandial blood glucose, liver weight, liver index, haemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and free fatty acid levels (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), along with alleviated hepatic histopathological damage and significantly upregulated NAMPT and SIRT1 mRNA and protein expression (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), as well as elevated NAD+ content (P < 0.01). In the DFG group, several key metabolic pathways were significantly modulated, including riboflavin metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, purine metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and vitamin B6 metabolism, indicating significant modulation of amino acid metabolism.
CONCLUSION
DGF significantly ameliorates glucolipid metabolism in T2DM rats, an effect that may be mediated by regulation of the hepatic NAMPT/NAD+/SIRT1 axis and amino acid metabolism disorders.
Core Tip: This study demonstrated that Dangua Fang (DGF) ameliorated glucolipid metabolic disorders in type 2 diabetes mellitus rats. DGF reduced blood glucose and lipid levels and alleviated hepatic histopathological injury. These effects were accompanied by increased hepatic nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and sirtuin 1 expression. Metabolomic analysis further revealed that DGF significantly regulated abnormal hepatic amino acid metabolism in diabetic rats, which might be associated with modulation of the nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide/sirtuin 1 axis.
