2002 Volume 48 Issue 2 Pages 168-172
Boi-ogi-to (Fang-ji-huang-qi-tang, FJHQ) is a Kampo Medicine which has been clinically used in the treatment of arthritis and edema, and includes Astragali Radix, Atractylodes Lanceae Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix, Zingiberis Rhizoma and Zizyphi Fructus combined with Sinomeni Caulis et Rhizoma (SCR) in Japan, but with Stephania Radix (SR) in China as a substitute for SCR. We have previously reported that FJHQ containing SR [FJHQ(SR)] decreases high blood glucose levels and the elevated blood immunoreactive insulin level in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice to a greater extent than FJHQ having SCR [FJHQ(SCR)]. In the present study, we show that FJHQ(SR) strongly decreases urinary glucose, sorbitol, fructose, myo-inositol and 1,5-anhydro-D-glucitol in STZ-diabetic mice; the effect was markedly stronger than that of FJHQ(SCR), indicating that FJHQ(SR) suppresses polyol pathway activity. The present data support the hypothesis that FJHQ(SR) may inhibit the development of diabetic complications.
