I16 Salvianolic acid A, a natural product obtained from Salvia miltiorrhiza alleviates diabetic complications

Abstract

Salvianolic acid A (SAA), a polyphenol derivative isolated from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, is known to show a variety of pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory actions. In the present study, the effects of SAA on diabetic complications and ionizing radiation injury were researched. Also, the mechanisms of actions of SAA were studied in vivo and in vitro. SAA inhibited the STZ-induced diabetic macrovascular and renal injury. SAA (3 mg/kg, po) significantly improved impaired macrovascular structure and function, which increased relaxation responses of diabetic rat aorta to acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP). SAA significantly reduced the loss of endothelial cells and lipid deposition, and reduced oxidative stress in diabetic rats. The effects of SAA on the renal disease also demonstrated a mild improvement on renal injury in diabetic rats. The results show that the effects of SAA were associated with increased expression of antioxidant enzymes, such as HO-1, NQO-1 and GPx-1 and reduced expression of MCP-1 and NF- κ B. In in vitro experiments, SAA (5 μM and 20 μM) significantly reduced both the expression of VCAM-1 and level of ROS in 25 mM glucose-treated HUVECs. These findings suggest that the effects of SAA on diabetes and high glucose-mediated dysfunction in endothelial cells may be associated with activation of Nrf2/ARE. SAA will be developed as a drug for the treatment of diabetes.