AIM: To explore the anti-diabetic effects of berberine and its influence on insulin secretion. METHODS: Impaired glucose tolerance rats induced by iv injection of streptozotocin 30 mg/kg were treated with berberine 187.5 and 562.5 mg/kg while fed with high fat laboratory chow. After rats were treated for 4 weeks, oral glucose tolerance was determined, and for 8 weeks, the fasting blood glucose, insulin, lipid series were determined. In insulin secretion experiments, berberine 93.75, 187.5, and 562.5 mg/kg was administered orally to BALB/c mice at a bolus. The murine serum was collected 2 h after the berberine administration for insulin determination. Insulin released from HIT-T 15 cells and pancreatic islets incubated with berberine 1-100 μmol/L for 12 h was determined. RESULTS:The levels of fasting blood glucose (7.4± 1.5 or 7.3± 1.3 vs 9.3± 1.3 mmol/L), triglycerides (0.61±0.22 or 0.63±0.17 vs 1.8±0.7 mmol/L), total cholesterol (1.8±0.3 or 1.9±0.3 vs 2.2±0.2 mmol/L), free fatty acid (456±93 or 460±72 vs 550± 113 μmol/L) and apolipoprotein B (0.37±0.02 or 0.42±0.05 vs 0.46±0.04 g/L) were reduced greatly in berberine-treated groups at doses of 187.5 and 562.5 mg.kg-1.d-l, respectively as compared with those in control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), whereas high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (1.5±0.3 or 1.4±0.3 vs 1.1±0.1 g/L), apolipoprotein A1 (0.80±0.08 or 0.87±0.08 vs 0.71±0.06 g/L) were significantly increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and oral glucose tolerance was improved. In vitro experiment showed that berberine 1-10 μmol/L facilitated insulin secretion of HIT-T15 cells and murine pancreatic islets in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile murine serum insulin level (27.5±2.7 or 29±4 or 29±4 vs 24.3±2.8 plU/L) was undoubtedly promoted and blood glucose (4.52±0.31 or 4.45±0.29 or 4.30±0.19 vs 4.87±0.21 mmol/L) was reduced after berberine administration at doses of 93.75, 187.5,and 562.5 mg/kg, respectively in the BALB/c mice. CONCLUSION: Berberine possesses anti-diabetic effects,which is related to the property of stimulating insulin secretion and modulating lipids.