Abstract: ［Abstract］  Objective〖HTSS〗〓To study the therapeutic effects of Astragalus polysaccharide(APS) on diabetic rats with retinopathy, and to explore its mechanism.
〖HTH〗〖WTHZ〗Methods〖HTSS〗〓Fortyfive cleaning degree healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, normal control group, diabetic model group and APS group(n=15/group). The diabetic rats were made by streptozotocin intraperitoneal injection. One week after modeling, rats in APS group was administrated orally with APS(400 mg/kg) once daily for consecutive 8 weeks. After treatment, the blood glucose and body weight of different groups were measured. The expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNFα) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1(ICAM1) in retina of different groups were detected by ELISA. The relative expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pAkt in retina of different groups were tested by western blot.
〖HTH〗〖WTHZ〗Results〖HTSS〗〓The blood glucose of model group and APS group was higher than control group, body weight of model group and APS group was lower than control group(P<0.05). The expression of TNFα, ICAM1, VEGF and pAkt in model group and APS group was higher than that of control group. The expression of TNFα, ICAM1, VEGF and pAkt in APS group was lower than that of model group(P<005).
〖HTH〗〖WTHZ〗Conclusion〖HTSS〗〓APS could decrease the expression of TNFα, ICAM1, VEGF and pAkt in retina of diabetic rats. Its protective effect on the retina may be through antiinflammatory effect, reducing Leukocyte adhere to diabetic retina and affecting Akt VEGF signaling pathways.

Key words: diabetic retinopathy, astragalan, rats