title: Radix Astragali lowers kidney oxidative stress in diabetic rats treated with insulin.
abstract: Fluctuations in glucose levels in diabetic patients can result in oxidative stress, resulting in an increased risk for diabetic complications. We investigated whether antioxidation would protect the kidney from oxidative stress in diabetic rats treated with insulin and provide evidence for the efficacy of antioxidant treatment in diabetes management. Diabetes was induced by injection of Streptozotocin intraperitoneally in male Wistar rats. Diabetic rats received either insulin, both insulin and Radix Astragali (RA), RA, or no treatment. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in kidney were determined. The changes of blood glucose levels and body weight were monitored. The levels of serum creatinine (Scr) were determined. The expression of PKCα was determined by western blot. NF-κB activation in kidney was assessed using EMSA. Compared to diabetic rats treated with insulin alone, the diabetic rats treated with combination of insulin and RA showed: (1) significantly lower levels of MDA, IL-6, TNF-α, and Scr (p < 0.05); (2) significantly higher SOD and GSH-Px activities (p < 0.05); (3) significantly lower NF-κB activation and lower expression levels of PKCα (p < 0.05); (4) significantly smaller kidney-to-body weight ratio (p < 0.05). RA is an effective agent in lowering oxidative stress in diabetic rats treated with insulin. Antioxidation is beneficial in reducing the risk of kidney damage due to oxidative stress in diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, Jilin Province, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Z X
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Q Z
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D027883:Astragalus Plant / Q000737:chemistry*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D003404:Creatinine; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase