Tian, a doctor of pharmacy in Mudanjiang Medical College, Heilongjiang Province, just completed a project, which confirmed for the first time that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide, the active component of Chinese medicine Lycium barbarum, has the trend of increasing serum insulin level, and has the function of repairing damaged islet cells and promoting islet cell regeneration. The results suggest that Lycium barbarum has obvious hypoglycemic effect and is expected to promote the independent research and development of α -glucosidase inhibitors in China in the future.

Lycium barbarum is a commonly used nourishing Chinese medicine, which has the functions of nourishing liver and kidney and benefiting eyesight. Since 1980s, experts and scholars have conducted in-depth discussions on this drug from various angles, but it is almost zero whether Lycium barbarum can lower blood sugar for diabetic patients.

With the support of Heilongjiang Science and Technology Fund, Dr. Tian from Mudanjiang Medical College conducted a lot of basic experimental research and clinical observation. The results show that Lycium barbarum can obviously reduce blood sugar, increase serum insulin level, repair damaged islet cells and promote islet? Regeneration of explants. This conclusion is completely consistent with the results of pancreatic histomorphology examination. 35 cases of diabetes were treated with Lycium barbarum extract, 30 cases were markedly effective, 3 cases were effective, and the total effective rate was 94.3%.

Further research and analysis show that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide is a compound polysaccharide composed of six neutral monosaccharides such as xylose, mannose, glucose and arabinose, galacturonic acid and 18 amino acids, and has a specific glycopeptide structure. The kinetic study of α -glucosidase showed that the inhibition rate of 0.4 mg Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on α -glucosidase could reach 52%. When Lycium barbarum polysaccharide was 2 mg, the inhibition rate was as high as 88%.

In recent years, the study of polysaccharides, especially α -glucosidase inhibitors, has become an important topic in the medical field. Expert evaluation pointed out that Dr. Tian discovered for the first time that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide, the active ingredient in Lycium barbarum, did have a strong α -glucosidase inhibitory effect, and successfully revealed the composition and structure of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide. This scientific research achievement, which just won the Heilongjiang Science and Technology Progress Award in 2007, has laid a solid theoretical foundation for our country to independently develop α -glucosidase inhibitors in the future.