Antagonistic Effect and In Vitro Activity of Dauricine on Glucagon Receptor

Abnormal increases in glucagon (GCG) are the primary cause of type II diabetes mellitus. When GCG interacts with a glucagon receptor (GCGR), GCG can increase the blood glucose level. In this paper, a compound that could interfere with the binding of GCG and GCGR to inhibit the increase of blood glucose was investigated. First, molecular docking was used to conduct preliminary screening of compounds whose active components could combine with GCGR by AutoDock Vina. The binding of the receptor-ligand complex was analyzed by PyMOL. Results showed that dauricine could tightly bind to the receptor pocket. Second, the plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)-GCGR containing the target gene was transfected into HEK293 cells for expression, which was the cell model established to screen GCGR antagonist. Dauricine, the lead compound of glucagon receptor antagonist (GRA), was screened using the GRA screening model in vitro. Finally, using [Des-His1, Glu9]-Glucagon amide as the positive control, flow cytometry was used to express the antagonistic effect of the compound. Consequently, dauricine can antagonize the GCGR.