AS1842856

AS1842856 predominantly suppresses Foxo1-mediated transactivation by directly binding to Foxo1. In HepG2 cells transiently transfected with a Foxo1 expression vector, AS1842856 potently represses Foxo1-mediated promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner similar to that seen in insulin treatment.AS1842856 administered at 0.1 μM inhibits Foxo3a- and Foxo4-mediated promoter activity by 3 and 20%, respectively. In contrast, Foxo1-mediated promoter activity is decreased by 70%. Foxo1 inhibitor AS1842856 may suppress endogenous G6Pase and PEPCK activities by decreasing their mRNA levels, which may lead to inhibition of glucose production in Fao cells^[1].

Fao cells are serum-starved (1 h) and incubated for 30 min with either insulin or AS1842856 at the indicated concentration. Protein lysates are prepared from cells treated with either insulin or AS1842856, and relative concentration of phosphorylated Foxo1 protein is determined by Western blot analysis.

Oral administration of AS1842856 to diabetic db/db mice leads to a drastic decrease in fasting plasma glucose level via the inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenic genes, whereas administration to normal mice has no effect on the fasting plasma glucose level. Treatment with AS1842856 also suppresses an increase in plasma glucose level caused by pyruvate injection in both normal and db/db mice^[1].