Effects of phlorizin on vascular complications in diabetes db/db mice.
BACKGROUND
Diabetic macrovascular complications are important causes of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and also one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Phlorizin has been reported to be effective in reducing the blood glucose level in diabetic mellitus, while little is known about its effects on vascular complications. This study aimed to observe the effects of phlorizin on the aorta of diabetes db/db mice and explore its mechanism.


METHODS
Diabetic db/db mice (n = 16) and age-matched db/m mice (n = 8) were divided into three groups: normal control group (CC group, db/m mice, n = 8), untreated diabetic group (DM group, db/db mice, n = 8) and diabetic group treated by phlorizin (DMT group, db/db mice, n = 8). Phlorizin (20 mg/kg body weight) was given in normal saline solution intragastrically for 10 weeks. Animals were weighed weekly. At the 10th weekend, all mice were fasted overnight and then sacrificed. Fasting blood was collected, and the aortas were dissected. The blood samples were analyzed for fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum advanced glycation end products (AGEs), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, the aortic ultrastructure was studied.


RESULTS
The weight and serum concentration of FBG, AGEs, and MDA in the DM group were higher than that in the CC group (P < 0.01), and they were significantly lower in the DMT group (P < 0.05). Serum SOD activity was lower than that in the CC group (P < 0.01), and it is significantly higher in the DMT group (P < 0.05). The severity of aorta damage in the DMT group was less than that in the DM group.


CONCLUSIONS
Phlorizin protected the db/db mice from diabetic macrovascular complications, attributed to the decreasing of blood glucose and AGEs level, and its antioxidant potential. This study may provide a new natural medicine for treating diabetic macrovascular complications.
Department of Geriatrics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
Lin
L
Shen
Bei-An
BA
You
Hai-Qing
HQ
Gao
Bao-Ying
BY
Li
Fei
F
Yu
Fei
F
Pei
D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010695:Phlorhizin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
D001786:Blood Glucose; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; D010695:Phlorhizin; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase