Two new dammarane monodesmosides from Centella asiatica.

Two new dammarane monodesmosides centellosides A (1) and B (2), and two new natural products ginsenosides Mc (10) and Y (11), together with 11 known compounds (3-9 and 12-15) reported for the first time from this genus, were isolated from the whole plants of Centella asiatica. All structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques and chemical methods, and compared with literature values. All the isolated compounds were evaluated in vitro for cytotoxicity.

[Effect of extract of ginkgo bilboa leaf on early diabetic nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of extract of Ginkgo bilboa leaf (EGB) on renal lesions of early diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: Sixty-eight patients with early DN were randomly divided into two groups, the control group (34 patients) and the treated group (34 patients). Patients in both groups received conventional therapy, while additional 9.6 mg EGB was orally taken by patients in the treated group, three times per day. The therapeutic course for both groups was three months. Indexes such as urinary microalbumin (mALB), alpha1-microglobulin (alpha1-MG), immunoglobulin (IgG), transferrin (TF), retinal binding protein (RBP) and N-acety-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) before and after treatment between the two groups were compared respectively. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, mALB, alpha1-MG, IgG, TF, RBP and NAG obviously decreased with significant difference in the treated group after treatment (P < 0.05). However, no significant decrease in the above-mentioned indexes in the control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: EGB has the protective action on early DN.