title: Jiangtang Xiaozhi Recipe () prevents diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevention effect of diabetic retinopathy of Jiangtang Xiaozhi Recipe (, JXR) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group and diabetic group. Rats in the diabetic group were induced by intraperitoneal administration of STZ (50 mg/kg), and subdivided into 5 groups. Rats in the diabetic control group were given saline; four treatment groups were given metformin (300 mg/kg), JXR (2, 4 and 8 g/kg) respectively for 8 weeks, while rats in the normal control group were injected with citrate buffer and given the same volume of vehicle. Body weight and food intake were measured every week. The hypoglycaemic effects were determined by testing fasting blood glucose (FBG) every other week, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, and glucagon at the end of the treatment. The preventive effects of JXR on STZ-induced diabetic rats were determined by histopathological examination with hematoxylin and eosin staining, and periodic acid-schiff staining. The effects were further evaluated by serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  High-dose JXR significantly reduced FBG and HbA1c level at the 8th week of administration (P<0.01, P<0.05). JXR significantly increased insulin level (P<0.05), and decreased glucagon level (P<0.05). JXR showed the antioxidant defense with increased SOD activity and decreased MDA contents in diabetic rats. Histopathological studies revealed that there were no basement membrane thickening and mild destruction in the treated groups. Morphometric measurements of retina microvascular showed that acellular capillary and capillary density decreased in treated rats while pericyte and endothelial cell increasing after the treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  JXR have protective effect of diabetic retinopathy and its mechanism may be associated with the obvious hypoglycemic and antioxidant effect.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Experiment Research Center, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, China.
authors.forename: Zheng-Yan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Qiang
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Experiment Research Center, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Experiment Research Center, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, China.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Experiment Research Center, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, China.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Experiment Research Center, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100091, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Xun
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China. vascular888@126.com.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005934:Glucagon / Q000097:blood; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D013311:Streptozocin
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005934:Glucagon; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007328:Insulin; D013311:Streptozocin; C000627439:Jiangtang xiaozhi
keywords: Chinese medicine; Jiangtang Xiaozhi Recipe; diabetes mellitus; diabetic retinopathy; streptozotocin