title: Effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza on retinopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza on diabetic retinopathy (DR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Diabetic mice of natural incidence type with monogenic inheritance were selected. Alloxan was injected into the caudal vein of mice once to induce DR. The structural changes of retina tissue in normal mice, DR mice and mice with high, medium and low dose of Salvia miltiorrhiza injection were observed under microscope. Then the blood glucose concentration and malonaldehyde (MDA) content were detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were some microaneurysms in retina of DR group, number of gangliocyte was decreased significantly, and cells were sparse and in disorder. After modeling, the blood glucose level of high-dose Salvia miltiorrhiza group (SM III group) was significantly different from DR group (P<0.01). Till the tenth week, the blood glucose level of all SM groups was decreased significantly compared with DR group (P<0.01). The effective rates of three SM groups were 93.8%, 76.4% and 50.3%, respectively. After ten weeks, MDA content of DR group was significantly higher than those of the normal control group and SM group (P<0.01), and medium and low dose SM groups had significantly higher MDA than that of normal control group (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Salvia miltiorrhiza had certain protective effect on DR mice through the blood-ocular barrier.
authors: Henan Eye Institute, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China.
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Zhang
authors: Shu-Zhen
authors: SZ
authors: Dai
authors: Xiao-Dong
authors: XD
authors: Nie
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Zhu
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Xing
authors: Li-Ya
authors: LY
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D027561:Salvia miltiorrhiza / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde