Are the Therapeutic Effects of Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus) on Diabetic Nephropathy Correlated with Its Regulation of Macrophage iNOS Activity?

Table 1

Mogensen’s criteria for stages of DN [1].

Stage	Features
I	Hyperfunction, hypertrophy.
	Increased urinary albumin excretion (microalbuminuria).
II	Morphologic lesions without clinical signs of disease. Increased GFR.
	Poor diabetic control or exercise increase microalbuminuria.
III	Incipient DN. Persistent proteinuria (30–300) mg/24 h. Microalbuminuria slowly increasing over the years. Increased GFR.
IV	Overt DN. Persistent proteinuria (>0.5 g/24 h). Untreated hypertension leads to decreased GFR.
V	End-stage renal failure with uremia due to DN.

Note. DN: diabetic nephropathy; GFR: glomerular filtration rate.