The Effects of a Traditional Medicine, Fang-ji-huang-qi-tang (Boi-ogi-to), on Urinary Sugar and Sugar Alcohols in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Mice.

Abstract

clinically used in the treatment of arthritis and edema in both Japan and China. Since FJHQ(SCR) has been reported to inhibit the elevation of serum cholesterol and decrease the ratio of visceral fat to somatic fat in diabetic patients with obesity, 1) it is possible that FJHQ(SR) has a similar or more beneficial effect in improving diabetes.Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus has been widely accepted as a model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.2) However, STZ-diabetic rodents still have low insulin levels and survive for some months. Recently, several investigators have reported that a single treatment of low doses of STZ induces a non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)-like hyperglycemic state in both neonatal and adult rodents. [3][4][5] This diabetic model characteristically shows mild hyperglycemia and impaired pancreatic function, accompanied by insulin resistance. In addition, the oral administration of antidiabetic drugs such as tolbutamide and glibenclamide improves hyperglycemia and increases the blood insulin level in STZ-diabetic rodents.6-8) These characteristics of STZ-diabetic mice are very similar to those of NIDDM.The chronic complications of diabetes, including retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy, 9) are the major causes of morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. It has been shown that diabetic complications may result from damage of cellular function caused by abnormal polyol metabolism. [10][11][12][13] In other words, the complications in poorly controlled diabetes would be ultimately caused by abnormal polyol metabolism 14) as well as glycation of proteins, 15,16) because the modification of nucleic acids and proteins by polyol can be due to activation of the hyperglycemia-induced polyol pathway. 17)In our previous studies, it was found that high blood glucose is reduced, whereas blood immunoreactive insulin is elevated in STZ-diabetic mice after