Effects of Dihydroxy Berberine on the activity of Glycogen Phosphorylase B

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

David Streiler

Abstract or Description

Glycogen phosphorylase is the enzyme which breaks down chains of glycogen by phosphorylating the glycosidic bond and forming the product, glucose 1 phosphate. In this experiment the effects of various levels of dihydroxy berberine were tested on the activity of glycogen phosphorylase. Dihydroxy berberine is a supplement known to increase glycolysis and is popular in the weight loss community. The activity of this enzyme at various effector concentrations was measured. This was fit to the Michaelis Menten equation in order to characterize the effect it has on the breakdown of glycogen. Enzyme activity was tested at 0.5- and 4-mM AMP which is a known activator, to test whether the effect of dihydroxy berberine differed. The results of this experiment show that Dihydroxy berberine is a slight inhibitor of the activity of glycogen phosphorylase at both 0.5- and 4-mM AMP. This indicates that the mechanism by which dihydroxy berberine activates glycolysis is not through increased formation of glucose 1 phosphate. From these results it can be determined that Dihydroxy Berberine is not a supplement that will increase the rate of glycogen breakdown, and it would have negative effects especially in individuals that lack proper glycogen metabolism function.

Mentor

Roberto De Guzman