ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the protective effects of Nourishingyin and Promotingblood flow recipe (NYPBR) on the kidney of diabetic rat.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>SD rats were divided into 3 groups at random: control group, diabetes group and NYPBR group. The latter two groups were injected intraperitoneally with streptozotocin to induce diabetes model. Rats in NYPBR group were fed NYPBR solution (3 g x d(-1)), with dose equivalent to the clinical use in the patients. Rats in the other groups were fed equivalent water. 10 weeks after diabetes was induced, the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression in the renal cortex was detected by RT-PCR, and its protein content by Western blotting. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the formation of nitrotyrosine (NT), a specific marker of peroxynitrite (ONOO-). The morphological changes of renal cortex were observed under optical microscope. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in renal cortex, blood glucose, 24 h urine protein content and creatinine clearance rate in different groups were detected.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Compared with control group, the iNOS mRNA expression (0.90 +/- 0.10) and its protein content (43.00 +/- 6.08), and NT content (87.23 +/- 5.94) increased significantly in diabetes group, in accord with the pathological changes of renal cortex and renal dysfunction. NYPBR can attenuate the pathological alterations.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NYPBR could decrease iNOS mRNA expression and its protein content, and reducing the overformation of ONOO-, thus protecting the kidney of diabetic rat from injury.</p>