AIM To observe the effects of
puerarin on injury of free radical in insulin-resistant-hypertensive IRH rats. METHODS ①
The experiment was completed in Guangzhou Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2003 to March 2004. Totally 71 healthy SD rats aged 6-8 days of either gender were selected in this study. ② Twenty were randomly selected as normal control group and fed with distilled water and general feed. Another rats were treated with 50 g/L saccharu 20 g/L saline and high fat-sugar-salt feed to establish IRH models. After 8 weeks 51 IRH rats with normal blood pressure and glucose tolerance were divided randomly into 5 groups model group n =11
captopril group n=10 high-dose middle-dose and low-dose puerarin groups with 10 in each group. Model was performed for 4 weeks according to methods mentioned above. Meanwhile rats in normal control group and model group were injected with 500 g/L propylene glycol 0.8 mL/kg once a day for 4 weeks rats in captopril group were injected with 7 mg/kg captopril solution once a day for 4 weeks rats in dose groups were acupunctured at bilateral Zusanli rear Sanli Piyu and Shenyu with 80 40 and 20 mg/kg puerarin on the basis of Rats Points Atlas Research and Experimental Animal & Animal Experiment once a day for 4 weeks. ③ After 4-week medication systolic pressure of caudal artery was assayed with hemomanometer blood glucose with ONE TOUCH II blood-sugar detector levels of serum nitric oxide NO nitric oxide synthase NOS malondialdehyde MDA and fasting
insulin and activity of superoxide dismutase SOD with biochemical analyzer content of plasma insulin with enzyme linked immunoassay analyzer. Sensitive index of insulin was calculated as 1/fasting blood glucose×fasting insulin. ④ Measurement data were compared with t test irregular variance was analysed with t' test. RESULTS Totally 71 SD rats entered the final analysis. ① After 4 weeks value of blood pressure in captopril group high and middle-dose puerarin groups was lower than that in model group P < 0.01 level of plasma insulin in captopril group high and middle-dose puerarin group was lower than that in model group and sensitive index of insulin was higher than that in model group P < 0.05-0.01. However indexes mentioned above in low-dose puerarin group were not significantly different from those in model group P > 0.05. ② Levels of serum NO and MDA and activities of NOS and induced NOS were higher in model group than those in normal control group P < 0.01 and SOD activity was lower than that in normal control group P < 0.01. Activities of serum SOD in captopril group and high-dose puerarin group were higher than those in model group P < 0.05 0.01 serum MDA content in captopril group high and middle-dose puerarin groups was lower than that in model group P < 0.05-0.01 However indexes mentioned above in low-dose puerarin group were not significantly different from those in model group P > 0.05. Serum NO content and activities of NOS and induced NOS in captopril group high and middle-dose puerarin groups was lower than that in model group P < 0.05- 0.01. Level of induced NOS in low-dose puerarin group was also lower than that in model group P < 0.01 but activities of NOS and induced NOS were close to those in model group P > 0.05. CONCLUSION Puerarin can enhance anti-oxidation of IRH rats relieve injury of free radical decrease blood pressure improve resistance of insulin and increase sensitivity of insulin.