党参、甘草糖提取物对小肠上皮细胞迁移多胺信号通路的影响

目的观察益气健脾中药党参、甘草的糖提取物对小肠上皮细胞(IEC-6)迁移过程多胺介导钾通道激活信号通路的影响,探讨党参、甘草促进胃肠黏膜损伤修复的作用机制。方法在IEC-6细胞迁移模型上,于正常或抑制多胺(加入DFMO)时,观察党参、甘草糖提取物对该信号通路的作用:(1)Western blot检测钾通道蛋白Kv1.1蛋白表达;(2)流式细胞仪检测细胞膜电位;(3)激光共聚焦显微镜检测细胞内Ca^(2+)水平;(4)Western blot检测Ca^(2+)下游指标RhoA蛋白表达。结果党参、甘草糖提取物在细胞迁移过程可以:(1)提高Kv1.1蛋白表达水平,改善DFMO所致Kv1.1蛋白表达下降;(2)提高细胞膜电位超极化水平,逆转DFMO所致细胞膜电位去极化;(3)提高细胞内Ca^(2+)水平,党参糖提取物可逆转DFMO所致Ca^(2+)水平降低;(4)提高RhoA蛋白表达水平,改善DFMO所致RhoA蛋白表达降低。结论党参、甘草糖提取物促进IEC-6细胞迁移的作用机制与其影响多胺介导钾通道激活信号通路有关。

糖网明目颗粒提取物对缺氧/高糖状态下血管内皮细胞肿瘤坏死因子-α、白细胞介素-1α表达的影响

目的观察糖网明目颗粒提取物对缺氧/高糖状态下血管内皮细胞EA.hy926炎症相关因子的影响,并探讨其作用机制。方法以Co Cl2和高浓度葡萄糖干预人脐静脉内皮细胞EA.hy926复制缺氧和高糖模型,MTT法检测细胞增殖能力,半定量RT-PCR检测炎症相关基因表达,ELISA检测炎症相关蛋白表达。结果缺氧和高糖均能促进EA.hy926细胞增殖,显著上调肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、白细胞介素-1α(IL-1α)基因和蛋白表达(P<0.05)。药物干预后,细胞增殖能力降低,TNF-α、IL-1α基因和蛋白表达水平显著降低(P<0.05)。结论糖网明目颗粒提取物可能通过调控缺氧/高糖状态下内皮细胞TNF-α、IL-1α等炎症相关因子的m RNA和蛋白表达从而达到防治糖尿病视网膜病变的目的。

糖肾清2号提取物调控AMPK信号通路对高糖环境下肾小球系膜细胞炎症因子表达的影响

目的:观察糖肾清2号提取物对高糖环境下的小鼠肾小球系膜细胞株AMPK-α1、IκBα、TLR-4mRNA转录和蛋白表达的影响,探讨该方抑制高糖环境下肾小球系膜细胞株免疫炎性病理损伤的分子机制。方法:采用小鼠肾小球系膜细胞株SV40 MES 13,在5%CO_2、37℃恒温培养箱常规培养。实验分组:空白对照组(D-葡萄糖5.6 mmol/L)、高糖组(D-葡萄糖30 mmol/L)、中药低浓度组(高糖+糖肾清2号提取物5μmol/L)、中药中浓度组(高糖+糖肾清2号提取物10μmol/L)、中药高浓度组(高糖+糖肾清2号提取物20μmol/L),共同孵育12、24、36 h进行指标检测。采用RT-PCR技术检测肾小球系膜细胞AMPKα1、IκBα、TLR4 mRNA转录水平;Western-blot技术检测肾小球系膜细胞AMPKα1、IκBα、TLR4的蛋白表达水平。结果:与空白对照组比较,高糖组AMPKα1、IκBαmRNA转录水平及蛋白表达下调(P<0.05),TLR4 mRNA转录水平及蛋白表达水平上调(P<0.01),差异有统计学意义。与高糖组比较,中药各浓度组AMPKα1、IκBα蛋白表达水平上调(P<0.05),中药高、低浓度组AMPKα1、IκBαmRNA转录水平上调(P<0.05)。中药各浓度组TLR4mRNA转录水平下调(P<0.01),中、高浓度组TLR4蛋白表达水平下调(P<0.01)。结论:糖肾清2号抑制高糖环境下肾小球系膜细胞免疫炎性代谢性损伤,此分子机制可能与调节AMPK信号通路相关。

响应面分析法优化高含量青稞β-葡聚糖饼干工艺及品质评价

为制备品质优良的高含量青稞β-葡聚糖饼干,以普通酥性饼干配方为基础,添加高含量青稞β-葡聚糖提取物,采用单因素和响应面法,以感官评分为指标,对制作方法进行优化,并对最优产品品质进行质构分析和货架期预测。结果表明,高含量青稞β-葡聚糖饼干的最佳制备工艺条件为低筋小麦粉110 g,高含量青稞β-葡聚糖提取物17 g,起酥油30 g,食盐0.55 g,木糖醇25 g,鸡蛋25 g,小苏打0.4 g,烘烤温度166℃,烘烤时间15 min。在这个最佳制备工艺条件下高含量青稞β-葡聚糖饼干硬度为(953.83±35.14)g,弹性为(0.57±0.13)mm,咀嚼性为(0.78±0.15)mJ,胶着性为(51.48±3.72)g。利用POV加速试验得出高含量青稞β-葡聚糖饼干在常温下货架期为153 d。

当归多糖及小分子提取物对TGF-β1诱导的HELF表达α-SMA、CTGF的影响

目的:观察当归多糖及小分子提取物对TGF-β1诱导的人胚肺成纤维细胞HELF的增殖及α-SMA、CTGF影响的作用。方法:建立肺纤维化细胞模型,分为空白组、模型组、12.5μg/ml当归多糖组、25μg/ml当归多糖组、50μg/ml当归多糖组、25μg/ml当归小分子提取物组、50μg/ml当归小分子提取物组、100μg/ml当归小分子提取物组。结合形态观察,检测细胞增殖、羟脯氨酸、MMP-9、TIMP-1含量及α-SMA、CTGF蛋白表达的变化。结果:与空白组比较,各组细胞吸光度值、羟脯氨酸、MMP-9、TIMP-1含量、CTGF、α-SMA蛋白表达均明显增高。与模型组比较,25μg/ml当归多糖组、50μg/ml当归小分子提取物组细胞吸光度值、羟脯氨酸含量、CTGF、α-SMA蛋白表达均降低,50μg/ml当归小分子提取物组MMP-9含量下降,25μg/ml当归多糖组、50μg/ml当归小分子提取物组TIMP-1含量均增高。形态学观察,模型组细胞数量增多,体积增大,生长旺盛。25μg/ml当归多糖组、50μg/ml当归小分子提取物组细胞数量较少,体积较小。结论:当归多糖及小分子提取物能抑制TGF-β1诱导的HELF增殖,减少羟脯氨酸的合成,其作用可能与下调α-SMA、CTGF表达,调节维持MMP-9/TIMP-1之间的平衡有关。

Elicitation on Artemisinin Biosynthesis in Artemisia annua Hairy Roots by the Oligosaccharide Extract from the Endophytic Colletotrichum sp. B501

The oligosaccharide elicitor from the mycelial wall of an endophytic Colletotrichum sp. B501 promoted the production of artemisinin in Artemisia annua L. hairy root culture. When hairy roots of 22-day-old cultures (later growth phase) were exposed to the elicitor (20 mg/L) for 4 d, the maximum content of artemisinin reached 1.15 mg/g, a 64.29% increment over the control. The electron X-ray microanalysis disclosed the rapid accumulation of Ca 2+ in the elicited cortical cells of hairy root. The electronic microscope observation revealed the high electron density area in vacuole of elicited cells. During the first day of elicitation the peroxidase activity of hairy roots was improved sharply. Some cellular morphological changes including cell shrinkage, condensation of cytoplasm and nuclear fragmentation, coincident with the appearance of DNA ladders, were observed after the third day of elicitation. It was suggested that the oligosaccharide elicitor triggered the programmed cell death, which may provide the substance or chemical signal for artemisinin biosynthesis.

RP-HPLC Determination of Pinoresinol Diglucopyranoside in Qing′e Pill Extract

Aim To develop and determine pinoresinol diglucopyranoside in Qing'e Pill, atraditional Chinese compound preparation containing Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. as the principal drug,by a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method (RP-HPLC) . Methods The extract ofQing'e Pill was refluxed with 75% ethanol, purified on an AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin columnand then injected into HPLC system. The HPLC assay was performed on an ODS analytical column with amixture of methanol-acetonitrile-water (24:3:78, V/V/V) as the mobile phase at a flow-rate of 1.0mL·min^(-1), and a UV detector set at 227 nm. Results Good linearity between peak area andconcentration was found in the range of 5.5 - 170 μg·mL^(-1) for pinoresinol diglucopyranoside ( r> 0.9998) . The average recovery was 99.3%. The intra-day assay RSD and the inter-day assay RSDwere 1.3% and 2.8%, respectively (n = 5). The content of pinoresinol diglucopyranoside in Qing'ePill was determined to be 0.446 +- 0.012 mg·g^(-1) (n = 10). Conclusion The RP-HPLC method wasproved to be sensitive, specific, accurate and precise for the determination of pinoresinoldiglucopyranoside in Qing' e Pill.

Continuous Lactic Acid Production from Longan Juice by Lactobacillus casei subsp, rhamnosus TISTR 108

This research focused using novel substrate, longan Lactobacillus casei subsp, rhamnosus TISTR 108. The optimum juice as carbon source for continuous lactic acid production by medium for lactic acid production was pure longan juice with 120 g/L sugar concentration and among the different nitrogen sources were added to the longan juice （yeast extract, tryptic soy, urea, （NH4）2SO4 and NaNO3）, yeast extract had the most efficiency. Yeast extract （10 g/L） without adding minerals to longan juice could produced the maximum lactic acid concentration of 38.91 ± 0.190 g/L in 60 h and the yield of 0.460± 0.122 g/g with the productivity of 0.649± 0.002 g/Lh in 2 liters flask. Batch fermentation was conducted in 2 liters fermentor and 41.38± 0.030 g/L lactic acid was produced in 48 h with the yield of 0.398 ± 0.215 g/g and the productivity was 0.862 ± 0.001 g/L h. The continuous fermentation using 2 liters fermentor as a high productivity for lactic acid （1.091 ± 0.001 g/L h） was achieved at dilution rate （D） of 0.0685 h-1.

Silkworm Extract Ameliorates Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Protects Pancreaticβ-cell Functions in Rats

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the hypoglycemic effects of silkworm extract(SE)on experimental type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)rats.Methods SE was prepared by dissolving freeze-dried silkworm powder in 70%(v/v)aqueous ethanol.T2DM rats were induced by feeding them a high fat diet and an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ).The blood glucose,free fatty acid(FFA),malondialdehyde(MDA),tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and superoxide dismutase(SOD)levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The quality of SE was controlled by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC;Agilent 1260,Agilent,USA).Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was performed for histological evaluation.Antibody expression was assessed via immunohistochemistry(IHC)staining.Results SE could improve insulin resistance and islet cell function by reducing FFA,MDA and TNF-αlevels and increasing SOD level.In addition,pancreatic HE staining analysis revealed that SE has a protective effect on isletβ-cells.Conclusions The present study indicates that SE has hypoglycemic as well as pancreatic protective effects in T2DM model rats.

Antihyperglycemic Effect of Zygophyllum Geslini Aqueous Extract in Streptozotocin-lnduced Diabetic Wistar Rats

Diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern. Finding a cure for the disease without its side-effects is the objective of modem medicine. The plant is a raw material for these studies. Zygophyllum gemini is a species widely used in Algeria to treat this disease. Our aim is to investigate the antidiabetic activity of aqueous extract and its fractions in induced diabetic Wistar rats by streptozotoein. The three drugs caused a decrease in blood sugar for 14 days. Butanolic fractions （BF） fraction gives significant results on blood glucose after seven days and significant regulating oral glucose tolerance. This preliminary study shows that Z. geslini is endowed with a remarkable antidiabetic activity and that further studies are needed.

Steroids from green alga Chaetomorpha basiretorsa Setchell

Six steroids have been isolated from ethanolic extract of green alga Chaetomorpha basiretorsa Setchell by a combination of repeated normal phase silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 gel column chromatography as well as recrystallization. Using spectroscopic methods including MS and NMR, their structures were determined as β-1awsaritol （1）, saringosterol （2）, 24-hydroperoxy-24-vinyl- cholesterol （3）, β-stigmasterol （4）, stigmast-4-en-3α, 6β-diol （5）, 29-hydroxystigmasta-5, 24 （28）-dien-3β-ol （6）. All these compounds were obtained from this genus for the first time and they were inactive （IC50〉10μg/ml） against KB, Bel-7402, PC-3M, Ketr 3 and MCF-7 cell lines.

Neuroprotective action of Ginkgo biloba on the enteric nervous system of diabetic rats

AIM: To investigate the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on the enteric neurons in the small intestine of diabetic rats. METHODS: Fifteen Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control group (C), diabetic group (D) and diabetic-treated (DT) daily with EGb 761 extract (50 mg/kg body weight) for 120 d. The enteric neurons were identified by the myosin-V immunohistochemical technique. The neuronal density and the cell body area were also analyzed. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the neuronal population (myenteric plexus P = 0.0351; submucous plexus P = 0.0217) in both plexuses of the jejunum in group D when compared to group C. With regard to the ileum, there was a significant decrease (P = 0.0117) only in the myenteric plexus. The DT group showed preservation of the neuronal population in the jejunum submucous plexus and in the myenteric plexus in the ileum. The cell body area in group D increased significantly (P = 0.0001) in the myenteric plexus of both segments studied as well as in the ileum submucosal plexus, when compared to C. The treatment reduced (P = 0.0001) the cell body area of the submucosal neurons of both segments and the jejunum myenteric neurons. CONCLUSION: The purified Ginkgo biloba extract has a neuroprotective effect on the jejunum submucous plexus and the myenteric plexus of the ileum of diabetic rats.

Portulaca oleracea Leaf Aqueous Lyophilized Extract Reduces Hyperglycemia and Improves Antioxidant Status of Red Blood Cells and Liver in Streptozotocin-lnduced Diabetic Wistar Rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of Po （Portulaca oleracea） lyophilised aqueous extract in diabetic male Wistar rats. Diabetes was induced intraperitonially by a single injection of STZ （streptozotocin） （60 mg/kg bw （body weight））. Twenty diabetic rats, weighing 263 ± 5 g, were divided into two groups fed a casein diet supplemented or not with Po extract （1 g/kg bw）, for four weeks. Control group （n = 6） received 0.23-0.25 mL of citrate buffer and was fed a standard diet during the experiment. The study was carried out at Oran University, Algeria and the entire experiments lasted from September 2011 to July 2012. Blood was obtained from the abdominal aorta of rats after fasting overnight and standard methods were used for the extraction of spices, determination of glycemia, insulinemia, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes activities. Portulaca oleracea treated compared to untreated rats, glycemia and HbAIc values were respectively 2.8- and 1.7-fold lower. TBARS （thiobarbituric acid reactive substances） concentrations were reduced in RBC （red blood cells） （-54%） and plasma （-65%）. Moreover, in liver and kidney, TBARS values were respectively 1.8- and 2-fold lower. SOD （superoxide dismutase） and GSH-Px （glutathione peroxidase） activities were increased respectively by ＋38% and ＋85%, in liver. GSSG-Red （glutathione reductase） activity was 1.9-fold higher in kidney, while CAT （catalase） was improved in kidney （＋48%）. In RBCs, SOD, GSH-Px, GSSH-Red and CAT activities were increased by 31%, 42%, 56% and ＋50%, respectively. These data have cast a new light on the actions of Portulaca oleracea and its antioxidant potential benefits in preventing diabetes and its complications.

Application of Pectin Crude Extract from Krung Kha Mao Leaves （Cissampelos pareira L.） for Immobilization of Lactobacillus casei subsp, rhamnosus TISTR 108 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus TISTR 1339 on Lactic Acid Production

The research was first to perform the utilization of novel and cheap pectin crude extract from Krung Kha Mao leaves （Cissampelos pareira L.） to immobilize cells of Lactobacillus casei subsp, rhamnosus TISTR 108 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus TISTR 1339 for lactic acid production, the optimum condition of immobilized cells was produced significantly at 5% of probability, that the highest lactic acid has been 38.50 and 33.66 g/L in steady state of whey medium for 96 and 108 h, respectively. Both strains were immobilized by 4% （w/w） of pectin crude extract from Krung Kha Mao （KKM pectin） leaves, 1.52 mm inner diameters of silicone tube and 5% （v/v） inoculum for immobilization. Efficiency of lactic acid production was compared by immobilized cells ofL. casei subsp, rhamnosus TISTR 108 when KKM pectin, commercial citrus pectin, commercial apple pectin and sodium alginate were used as supporting materials to produce lactic acid 38.50, 38.76, 30.43 and 34.56 g/L, respectively, the productivity of lactic acid has been 0.40, 0.40, 0.36 and 0.36 g/L h, respectively.

Ultrasonic Extraction of Polysaccharides from Laminaria japonica and Their Antioxidative and Glycosidase Inhibitory Activities

In the present study, ultrasonic extraction technique （UET） is used to improve the yield of polysaccharides from Lami- naria japonica （LJPs）. And their antioxidative as well as glycosidase inhibitory activities are investigated. Box-Behnken design （BBD） combined with response surface methodology （RSM） is applied to optimize ultrasonic extraction for polysaccharides. The optimized conditions are obtained as extraction time at 54 min, ultrasonic power at 1050 W, extraction temperature at 80℃ and ratio of material to solvent at 1：50 （g mL-1）. Under these optimal ultrasonic extraction conditions, an actual experimental yield （5.75% ＋ 0.3%） is close to the predicted result （5.67%） with no significant difference （P〉0.05）. Vitro antioxidative and glycosidase inhibitory activities tests indicate that the crude polysaccharides （LJP） and two major ethanol precipitated fractions （LJP1 and LJP2） are in a concentration-dependent manner. LJP2 （30%-60% ethanol precipitated polysaccharides） possesses the strongest α-glucosidase in- hibitory activity and moderate scavenging activity against hydroxyl radicals （66.09% ±2.19%, 3.0 mg mL-l）. Also, the inhibitory activity against a-glucosidase （59.08% ± 3.79%, 5.0 mg mL-1） is close to that of acarbose （63.99% ± 3.27%, 5.0 mg mL-l）. LJP 1 （30% ethanol precipitated polysaccharides） exhibits the strongest scavenging activity against hydroxyl radicals （99.80%q-0.00%, 3.0mg mL-1） and moderate a-glucosidase inhibitory activity （47.76%± 1.92%, 5.0 mgmL-1）. LJP shows the most remarkable DPPH scav- enging activity （66.20%±0.11%, 5.0mgmL-1） but weakest a-glucosidase inhibitory activity （37.77%±1.30%, 5.0mgmL-1）. How- ever, all these LJPs exert weak inhibitory effects against a-amylase. These results show that UET is an effective method for extract- ing bioactive polysaccharides from seaweed materials. LJP 1 and LJP2 can be developed as a potential ingredient in hypoglycemic agents or functional food for the management of diabetes. This study provides scientific evidence and advances in the preparation technology and a hypoglycemic activities evaluation method for seaweed polysaccharides, especially glycosidase inhibition in com- bination with an antioxidative activity evaluation method.

Antioxidant Activity and Anti-Hyperglycemic Effect of Lagenaria Siceraria Fruit Extract

Lagenaria siceraria （Molina） Standl., known as bottle gourd is widely available throughout Vietnam as an edible vegetable. Bottle gourd is a commonly fruit but there are little reports about its biological activities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate antioxidant activity and anti-hyperglycemic potential of ethanolic extract of bottle gourd. The ethanolic extract was tested for its antioxidant activity on chelating power, the ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay （FRAP） and the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl （DPPH） free radical scavenging assay. The results showed that chelating activity was 80.02%, FRAP value was 92.84 μmol Fe^2＋/g and active radical scavenging which showed an IC50 was 49.50 μg/ml. The five different doses of ethanolic extract were treated by oral tolerance to mice body before oral glucose tolerance and blood glucose level was measured using glucose oxidase method. The result indicated that inhibition percentage of ethanolic extract of bottle gourd at the dose of 400 mg/kg in glucose-induced hyperglycemic mice was effectively similar to standard drug glibenclamide. The results obtained indicate that ethanolic extract from bottle gourd is the potential antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic agent.

Antiglycation and antioxidation properties of juglans regia and calendula officinalis:possible role in reducing diabetic complications and slowing down ageing

OBJECTIVE:Accumulation of advanced glycation end products(AGEs) in the body due to the non-enzymatic glycation of proteins and oxidation is associated with aging and diabetes mellitus.In this study we wanted to investigate the antiglycation and antioxidation potential of two medicinal plants:Juglans regia and Calendula officinalis.METHODS:In-vitro investigation was carried out to discover the antiglycation and antioxidation potential of J.regia and C.officinalis.Using an Ultraviolet Double-beam Spectrophotometer,we evaluated the antiglycation property of the crude methanolic extracts of J.regia and C.officinalis by assessing their ability to inhibit the Maillard reaction.Employing the same instrument we also measured the antioxidation potential of these plant extracts using the nitric oxide(NO) free radical-scavenging assay.RESULTS:J.regia had greater antiglycation ability,with a minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC 50) of 28 μg/mL as compared with that of C.officinalis(270 μg/mL).C.officinalis had greater antioxidation potential(26.10,22.07 and 16.06% at 0.5 mg,0.25 mg and 0.125 mg,respectively,as compared with 18.15,16.50 and 16.06% of J.regia,respectively).CONCLUSION:J.regia and C.officinalis inhibited the Maillard reaction and prevented oxidation in-vitro.Hence,the extracts of these plants could have therapeutic uses in curbing chronic diabetic complications and slowing down aging.

Effect of Honghua (Flos Carthami) on nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 cells and α-glucosidase activity

OBJECTIVE： To study the effects of extracts from Honghua （Flos Carthaml~ on lipopolysaccharide in- duced nitric oxide （NO） production in RAW 264.7 cells and the influence of the extracts on yeast a-glucosidase activity. The total flavonoid content of the extracts was also determined. METHODS： Cytotoxicity of the extracts to RAW 264.7 cells was evaluated by the ATPliteTM method. Inhibitory effects of the extracts on NO production were evaluated by Griess assay. Curcumin was used as a positive control. Screening of extracts for po- tential a-glucosidase inhibitors was done by a fiuo- rometric assay. The assay was based on the hydroly- sis of 4-methylumbelliferyl-a-D-glucopyranoside toform the fluorescent product, 4-methylumbellifer- one. Acarbose was used as a positive control. The total t3avonoid content was tested using kaempfer- ol as the standard. RESULTS： There were significant inhibitory effects on NO production when the extracts were 25-100 μg/ mL （P〈0.05） and curcumin was 2-4 μg/mL （P〈 0.001）. The extracts showed an inhibitory effect on a-glucosidase activity at the concentrations of 15.6-125 μg/mL with a half maximal （50%）inhibito- ry concentration （ICs0） of （32.8± 5.7） μg/mL, com- pared with the ICs0 of acarbose at （1.8±0.4） μg/mL. There was a significant difference between the two IC50 values （P〈0.001）. The total content of flavo- noids per gram of dried herb was 1.14 mg. CONCLUSION： Honghua （Flos Carthami） showed in- hibitory effects on NO production in activated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and an inhibitory effect on yeast a-glucosidase. There might be a relationship between these pharmacological effects and its fla- vonoid content.

Assessment of anti-diabetic activity of peanut shell polyphenol extracts

The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-diabetic property of peanut shell polyphenol extracts （PSPEs）. Diabetic rats were oral-administrated with PSPE at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight （BW） per day for 28 consecutive days, with metformin （Met） as a positive control. The results showed that, similar to the Met treatment, administration of PSPE caused significant decreases in food intake, water intake, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde in serum, and significant increases in BW, insulin level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, and liver gly- cogen. Further, glucose tolerance was markedly improved in the PSPE-treated diabetic groups. Histopathological results showed that PSPE improved cellular structural and pathological changes in liver, kidney, and pancreatic islets. Collectively, the results indicated that the hypoglycemic effects of PSPE on high-fat diet/streptozotocin （HFD/STZ）induced diabetes are comparable to Met, though their exact mechanism actions are still under investigation. Therefore, the current study suggests that PSPE could be a potential health-care food supplement in the management of diabetes.

Inhibition mechanism of compound ethanol extracts from Wuweizi(Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis) on renal interstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy model mice

OBJECTIVE：To evaluate inhibition effect and mech- anism of compound ethanol extracts from Wuweizi （Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis）, Chuanxiong （Rhi- zoma Chuanxiong） and Muli （Cocha Ostreae） （FRC） on glomerular and tubular interstitial fibrosis in streptozocin （STZ）-induced diabetic nephropathy （ND） model mice. METHODS： Twenty-seven male C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly into 3 groups： nondibetic （ND）, STZ-induced diabetic （D）, and STZ-induced diabetic that were treated with .5 g. kg1. daylof FRC by oral gavage （DFRc）, with 9 in each group. The protein ex- pressions of E-cadherin, a-smooth muscle actin （a-SMA）, Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 （PAl-l） in renal tissues were investigated by Western blot- ting. The expressions of fibronectin （FN） and o-SMA were detected by immunohistochemical method. The morphological changes of renal tissues were observed under a microscope. RESULTS： Renal tissues in the DFRC group showed a lessened degree of fibrosis. Meanwhile, the expres- sions of FN, o-SMA and PAl-lwere significantly lower in the DrRc group than those in the D group （all P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION： FRC can ameliorate the DN in the C57BL/6 mice, and its mechanism may relate to in- hibition on the epithelial to mesenchymal transdif- ferentiation, endothelial-myofibroblast transition and PAl-1 expression.