Effect and mechanism of Buyang Huanwu decoction on retinal inflammation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Objective

To observe the protective effect of Buyang Huanwu decoction (BYHWD) against retinal inflammation in diabetic rats.

Methods

Healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal and diabetic model groups. Diabetic rats were given a one-time intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) to establish a diabetic phenotype and were randomly assigned to the negative control (saline), positive control (calcium dobesilate), and BYHWD treatment groups. After 8 weeks of treatment, fluorescein-labeled dextran and Evans blue dye were injected into the tail vein to observe vascular permeability and vascular leakage in the retina, respectively. Perfusion of fluorescein-labeled concanavalin was used to detect adhesion in rat retinal leukocytes. Western blotting was used to quantify the expression levels of the inflammatory factors TNF-α, NF-κBp65, and p-NF-κBp65 in retinal tissue.

Results

Compared with nondiabetic rats, saline-treated diabetic rats showed significantly increased retinal vascular leakage, leukocyte adhesion, and protein levels of TNF-α and p-NF-κBp65 (P<0.05). These effects were significantly reduced in the positive control and BYHWD groups (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Buyang Huanwu decoction can ameliorate retinal inflammation in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Its mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of TNF-α expression and NF-κB pathway activation.