Effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza hydrophilic extract on antioxidant enzymes in diabetic patients with chronic heart disease: a randomized controlled trial.

To investigate whether Salvia miltiorrhiza hydrophilic extract (SMHE) has the ability to ameliorate oxidative stress in diabetic patients with chronic heart disease (CHD), 62 patients with CHD were recruited. These patients were assigned randomly into two groups: (1) placebo group receiving hypoglycemic therapy; (2) treatment group receiving hypoglycemic therapy plus SMHE. The biological markers related to oxidative stress were measured to determine the effect of treatment. Thirty patients in the placebo group and 24 patients in the treatment group were followed to completion in this study. Overall, the malondialdehyde (MDA) level at day 30 in the treatment group was significantly lower than in the placebo group. However, no significant difference in the serum antioxidant enzymes activities was observed between the groups. At day 60, the serum glutathione (GSH) level, superoxide dismutase (SOD), Paraoxonase (PONase) and glutathione reductase (GSSG-R) activities increased markedly in the treatment group compared with the placebo group. There was no significant difference in the level of lipid profile between the two groups. This study indicated that SMHE clearly reduced oxidative stress in diabetic patients with CHD.