| BackgroundChronic renal failure is a syndrome of glomerular filtration rate decrease and related metabolic disorder and clinical symptoms caused by all kinds of chronic kidney disease,mainly as water-electrolyte imbalance, acid-base imbalance, azotemia, retention of metabolites and systemic system symptoms.The main etiology of chronic renal failure includes diabetic nephropathy, primary and secondary glomerulonephritis, hypertensive renal arteriolar sclerosis and so on. The pathogenesis of chronic renal failure is mainly related to nephron hypermetabolism, high filtration of nephron and epithelial phenotype transformation of renal tissue.Recently,the prevention and treatment of chronic renal failure has become one of the most important problems of public hygiene faced by worldwide countries. The efficacy of the treatment of chronic renal failure is limited by high cost and limited transplant conditions, so nowadays finding means of non-dialysis and drugs is still the goal for treating chronic renal failure.Therefore, investigation to chronic renal failure from the angle of traditional Chinese medicine may have a very important clinical value in finding drugs for the treatment of chronic renal failure.ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Fushengong Decoction on renal function and the expressions of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) in rats with chronic renal failure for providing more experimental evidences to the safe and effective Chinese compound recipe for the treatment of chronic renal failure.Methods55 male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups:control group, model group, and low, medium and high Fushengong Decoction dose groups(11 in each group). Rats in control group were fed with standard chow, while the other four groups were fed with 0.5% adenine feedstuff to make the CRF model. After the models were successfully made, all rats received standard chow. Then, rats in control and model groups received intra-gastric normal saline(NS) by 20ml/kg.d for 30d, while those in low, medium and high Fushengong Decoction dose groups received Fushengong Decoction at the dose of 4g/kg,8g/kg and 16g/kg respectively, once a day for 30d. After the experiment, Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) of rats were detected in each group.24h urinary protein in urine was collected and measured, and the renal index was calculated. Histomorphology of glomerulus was detected by HE staining, and the renal interstitial fibrosis was detected by Masson staining. The expressions of Shh, Gli1, STAT3 and EMMPRIN were detected by immunohistochemistry.ResultsThe levels of BUN and Scr, the quantitative of proteinuria in 24 hours, the renal index, and the expressions of Shh, Glil, STAT3 and EMMPRIN in nephridial tissue were increased significantly in the model group compared to those of the control group(P<0.05). After the treatment of Fushengong Decoction, compared with the model group, the levels of BUN and Scr, the quantitative of proteinuria in 24 hours, the renal index, and the expressions of Shh, Gli1, STAT3 and EMMPRIN in nephridial tissue were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Under light microscope, it showed no significant pathological changes on the renal tissue morphology in control group. It showed glomerular deformation and atrophy, significant fibrosis of renal interstitial, diffuse infiltrative inflammatory cells of renal interstitial in model group, while pathological changes were significantly alleviated in low, medium and high Fushengong Decoction dose groups.ConclusionFushengong Decoction can significantly improve the renal function and alleviate the renal fibrosis in rats with chronic renal failure by inhibiting the Shh signaling pathway and reducing the expressions of STAT3 and EMMPRIN in nephridial tissue. |
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