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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2021

Open Access 01-12-2021 | Chronic Kidney Disease | Research article

Effect of Shenkang on renal fibrosis and activation of renal interstitial fibroblasts through the JAK2/STAT3 pathway

Authors: Tianyu Qin, You Wu, Tonghua Liu, Lili Wu

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2021

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Abstract

Background

Activation of renal fibroblasts is a critical mechanism in the process of renal fibrosis. As a commonly used herbal formula, Shenkang (SK) has been found to attenuate renal fibrosis and renal parenchyma destruction. However, the effect of SK on renal fibroblast activation in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mice and its molecular mechanism remain undetermined. The present study was performed to elucidate the effect of SK on renal fibroblast activation and renal fibrosis, as well as the potential underlying mechanism, in both NRK-49F cells and UUO mice.

Methods

NRK-49F cells were stimulated with 10 ng/ml TGF-β1 for 48 h. After SK treatment, the CCK-8 method was used to evaluate cell viability. Thirty-six C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the sham group, UUO group, angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) group, and SK high-, moderate- and low-dose groups. UUO was induced in mice except those in the sham group. Drugs were administered 1 day later. On the 13th day, the fractional anisotropy (FA) value was determined by MRI to evaluate the degree of renal fibrosis. After 14 days, serum indexes were assessed. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Sirius red staining were used to observe pathological morphology and the degree of fibrosis of the affected kidney. Western blotting and PCR were used to assess the expression of related molecules in both cells and animals at the protein and gene levels.

Results

Our results showed that SK reduced extracellular matrix (ECM) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression both in vitro and in vivo and attenuated renal fibrosis and the pathological lesion degree after UUO, suppressing JAK2/STAT3 activation. Furthermore, we found that SK regulated the JAK2/STAT3 pathway regulators peroxiredoxin 5 (Prdx5) in vitro and suppressor of cytokine signaling protein 1 (SOCS1) and SOCS3 in vivo.

Conclusions

These results indicated that SK inhibited fibroblast activation by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, which may be a mechanism underlying its protective action in renal fibrosis.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Effect of Shenkang on renal fibrosis and activation of renal interstitial fibroblasts through the JAK2/STAT3 pathway
Authors
Tianyu Qin
You Wu
Tonghua Liu
Lili Wu
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-03180-3

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