[The protective effect of nourishing yin and promoting blood flow recipe on the aortic endothelium injury of diabetic rats].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protective effects of Nourishing Yin and Promoting Blood Flow Recipe (NYPBR) on aortic endothelium injury of diabetic rats.

METHODS

The SD rats were divided into 3 groups randomly: control group, modle group and NYPBR group. The latter two groups were injected intraperitoneally with streptozotocin to establish diabetes model. Rats in NYPBR group were fed NYPBR solution (3 mL/d), with dose equivalent to the clinical use in the patients. Rats in the other groups were administrated equivalent water. 13 weeks after diabetes was induced, the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expressionin the aorta was detected by RT-PCR, iNOS protein content was determined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the formation of nitrotyrosine (NT), a specific marker of peroxynitrite (ONOO-). The morphological changes of aortic endothelium were observed under optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) in serum, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum were detected.

RESULTS

Compared with control group, the iNOS mRNA expression and its protein content, and the NT content all increased significantly in model group, in accordance with the pathological changes of aortic endothelium. NYPBR improved the pathological alterations obviously.

CONCLUSION

NYPBR can decrease iNOS mRNA expression and its protein content, reduce the over-formation of ONOO- and protect the diabetic rats from injury aortic endothelium.