title: Maintaining the redox-balance intact: gosha-jinki-gan but not insulin activates retinal soluble guanylate cyclase in diabetic rats.
abstract: Strategies to prevent hyperglycemia-induced cytotoxic reactive oxygen species in the retina include the prevention of free radical production, activation of radical-scavenging capacities and inhibition of aldose reductase. This study examined the effect of the standardized Japanese herbal extract product gosha-jinki-gan (GJG) in comparison to insulin treatment in the rat retina. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by single injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg i.p.). At 6 and 12 weeks, eye-cups were removed for immunohistochemistry. At 12 weeks, lipid peroxidation (tested with the antiacrolein antibody, Ab5F6) was enhanced significantly in the untreated diabetic group. This effect was absent in both treatment groups, notably in the outer retina. A similar result was obtained for nitrotyrosine overproduction. As an early treatment effect, GJG -- but not insulin -- enhanced soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activation (using the function-sensing antibody, MoAb 3221). GJG not only reduces nitroxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in the retina, it also ameliorates glucose metabolism within the cells. We propose that the high glucose turnover in the insulin-treated model disturbs the intracellular redox equilibrium, one result of which might be the impaired sGC activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oriental Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cameron-Schaefer
authors.forename: Kazunari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishige
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuyama
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanawa
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suematsu
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012160:Retina / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; C119642:gosha-jinki-gan; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase