Objective: To assess the effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Composita (SMCo) in treating non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).
Methods: The superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) levels of 20 patients with NIDDM were observed before and after treatment with Salvia Miltiorrhiza Composita and 20 patients without using SMCo were studied as controls.
Results: The SOD levels were significantly lower than that of normal (P < 0.05), and MDA significantly increased (P < 0.01). After treatment with SMCo, the SOD levels were significantly increased (P < 0.01), there was no difference between the treatment group and the normal group. In the control group, the SOD levels had increase tendency and MDA had decrease tendency, but there was significant difference compared with the normal (P < 0.05, P < 0.01 respectively). The total effective rate of anti-lipid peroxidation injury in the group combined with intravenous SMCo was markedly higher than in the group without SMCo therapy (90% vs 60%, P < 0.01).
Conclusion: SMCo could resist lipid peroxidation injury.