Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Measurement of Fatty Acid β-Oxidation in a Suspension of Freshly Isolated Mouse Hepatocytes
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Calycosin improves insulin resistance by regulating the hsa-miR-324-3p/AKT pathway to inhibit FOXO3a nuclear transfer

Junling Zhu1, Rilian Lai2, Qin Zheng3

  • 1Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, China.

Xenobiotica; the Fate of Foreign Compounds in Biological Systems
|September 9, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Calycosin alleviates insulin resistance by inhibiting FOXO3a nuclear translocation via the hsa-miR-324-3p/AKT pathway. This study identifies AKT1 as a key target for calycosin

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Insulin resistance is a major metabolic disorder.
  • HepG2 cells induced with palmitic acid serve as a model for insulin resistance.
  • Calycosin is a potential therapeutic agent for metabolic diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of calycosin on palmitic acid-induced HepG2 cells.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying calycosin's action in insulin resistance.
  • To identify potential molecular targets of calycosin.

Main Methods:

  • Network pharmacology for target prediction.
  • Cell viability assays (MTT).
  • Western blot for protein expression (AKT1, FOXO3a).
  • RT-qPCR for microRNA expression (hsa-miR-324-3p).
  • Dual luciferase reporter assay.

Main Results:

  • Palmitic acid successfully induced insulin resistance in HepG2 cells.
  • Calycosin increased insulin sensitivity in a dose-dependent manner.
  • hsa-miR-324-3p was identified to target AKT1.
  • Calycosin inhibited FOXO3a nuclear translocation by regulating the hsa-miR-324-3p/AKT pathway.

Conclusions:

  • AKT1 is a validated target of calycosin in the context of insulin resistance.
  • The hsa-miR-324-3p/AKT pathway is crucial for calycosin's therapeutic effects.
  • Calycosin shows promise for treating insulin resistance through this pathway.
Keywords:
AKT1CalycosinForkhead box O3Ahsa-miR-324-3pinsulin resistancepalmitic acid

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