Objective To observe protective effect of Liuhuang mixture (a traditional Chinese herbal compound made of Astragalus, Polygonatum sibiricum, Cattail pollen, Curcuma longa L., Coptis chinensis, and Rheum officinale) on endothelial cells in insulin resistant rats and its mechanism.
Methods Forty healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal, model, Liuhuang mixture, and rosiglitazon group based on their body weight (10 in each group). Insulin resistant rat model was established by feeding high fat food combined with injection of dexamethasone and the rats were interfered with rosiglitazon and Liuhuang mixture．The changes in the mRNA expressions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), protein kinase B (Akt), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in thoracic aorta endothelial cells of the rats were determined with real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) 7 weeks after the intervention．
Results The expression of Akt mRNA (0.20 ± 0.05) in thoracic aorta of the rats treated with Liuhuang mixture was higher than that of the rats in model group (P < 0.05). Compared with those of the model group, the expressions of PI3-K mRNA (1.07 ± 0.31) and eNOS mRNA (0.87 ± 0.27) were increased after the treatment of Liuhuang mixture, but without significance.
Conclusion Liuhuang mixture can effectively protect the endothelial cells in insulin resistant rats by increasing PI3-K/Akt signal transduction.
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