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ABSTRACT One-year-old Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC, Fabaceae, was treated with three exogenous phytohormones in June and July, namely gibberellin, auxin (indole-3-acetic acid), methyl jasmonate at different concentrations. Control plants were treated with water. Roots of controls and hormones-treated G. uralensis plants were harvested at different times, and the contents of seven main chemical components were determined. Root glycyrrhizic acid content of plants treated in June increased significantly compared with controls, and the difference was significant. As for plants treated in July, root glycyrrhizic acid content increased in which sprayed with appropriate concentrations of hormones, but the effects of hormones were more evident in plants treated in June coincided with the vigorous growth period than those treated in July. Gibberellin at 40 mg/l and auxin at 40 mg/l applied in the two treatment periods significantly promoted the accumulation of glycyrrhizic acid in G. uralensis root. Treatment with methyl jasmonate at 100 and 25 mg/l in June and July, respectively, also increased glycyrrhizic acid content significantly. The determination of major active compositions indicated that liquiritin, isoliquiritin, isoliquiritin apioside and liquiritin apioside contents were positively related to glycyrrhizic acid content. The study preliminarily found phytohormones and the main chemical components associated with glycyrrhizic acid content, and these discoveries could provide a basis for establishing a chemical control network with glycyrrhizic acid as the core, confirming the secondary product metabolic pathways in the network and completely uncovering synthesis mechanism underlying glycyrrhizic acid-combined functional gene polymorphism.
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Objective To establish albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) reference value of the rural population in Hebei province.Methods This study enrolled 5154 participants. By excluding subjects with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and overweight condition, as well as those with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)<60 ml/(min·1.73 m), apparently healthy subjects (1168) were selected. Urine albumin was measured by using the immunoturbidimetic method, serum creatinine was measured by using Jaffe's kinetic method on a morning spot-urine sample, and ACR was calculated. The 95th percentile of ACR in the healthy subjects was used as the normal upper limit.Results The normal upper limit of ACR was 28.71 mg/g (3.25 mg/mmol) for males and 31.85 mg/g (3.60 mg/mmol) for females. Based on this ACR reference value, the age-gender standardized prevalence of albuminuria in the rural areas of Hebei province was 12.9%.Conclusion The ACR reference value in the rural of Hebei province is higher than that of the Western population.
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<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the effect and mechanism of ascorbic acid on podocyte, last barrier of glomerular filtration, in diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin injection intraperitoneally were treated by ascorbic acid for 5 weeks. The levels of blood glucose (BG), HbA1c, urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) and superoxide diamutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in renal cortex were measured. The podocyte ultrastructure was observed while the expression of desmin protein, a marker of podocyte injury, was examined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with control group, BG and HbA1c were increased markedly in diabetic group. The activities of SOD and CAT were decreased and the concentrations of MDA were increased significantly in diabetic renal cortex. There were the increased proteinic expression of desmin, foot process effacement in podocytes and UAER markedly in diabetic rats. Compared with diabetic rats, foot process effacement and the changes of UAER were ameliorated markedly while the activities of SOD were increased, the levels of MDA and proteinic expression of desmin were decreased markedly although BG, HbA1c and the activities of CAT were no significant difference in the diabetic rats by ascorbic acid treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The findings suggest that there are marked injury in podocyte, last barrier of glomerular filtration, in diabetic rats and administration of ascorbic acid can protect podocyte by increasing antioxidative capacity and ameliorating the renal oxidative stress.</p>