title: Esculin improves dyslipidemia, inflammation and renal damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasing studies have shown that dyslipidemia and inflammatory responses play important roles in the progression of microvascular diabetic complications. Esculin (ES), a coumarin derivative, was extracted from Fraxinus rhynchophylla. The present study was to evaluate the potential effects of ES on lipid metabolism, inflammation responses and renal damage in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced experimental diabetic rats and explore the possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diabetic rat model was established by administration high-glucose-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of STZ 45 mg/kg. ES was administrated to diabetic rats intragastrically at 10, 30 and 90 mg/kg for 10 weeks respectively. The levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (T-CHO), low density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density-cholesterol (HDL-C) in serum were measured. IL-1, IL-6, ICAM-1, NO, NAGL, and AGEs level in serum were detected by ELISA assay. The accumulation of AGEs in kidney tissue was examined by immunohistochemistry assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that ES could decrease TG, T-CHO, LDL levels in serum of diabetic rats in a dose dependent manner. ES also decreased IL-1, IL-6, ICAM-1, NO and NGAL levels in serum of diabetic rats in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, ES at 30 and 90 mg/kg significantly decreased AGEs level in serum and alleviated AGEs accumulation in renal in diabetic rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that ES could improve dyslipidemia, inflammation responses, renal damage in STZ-induced diabetic rats and the possible mechanism might be associated with the inhibition of AGEs formation.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Target Identification, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China. walling@imm.ac.cn.|State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China. walling@imm.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yue-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Target Identification, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Crystal Research, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Target Identification, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China. dugh@imm.ac.cn.|State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China. dugh@imm.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Guan-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004929:Esculin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D031661:Fraxinus / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D013311:Streptozocin / Q000009:adverse effects; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D014280:Triglycerides; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D004929:Esculin; D013311:Streptozocin; D002784:Cholesterol