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BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 1/2020

01-12-2020 | Diabetic Nephropathy | Research article

Celastrol slows the progression of early diabetic nephropathy in rats via the PI3K/AKT pathway

Authors: Yusong Nie, Chengxiao Fu, Huimin Zhang, Min Zhang, Hui Xie, Xiaopei Tong, Yao Li, Zhenyan Hou, Xinrong Fan, Miao Yan

Published in: BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

Diabetic nephropathy serves as one of the most regular microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus and is the main factor that causes end-stage renal disease and incident mortality. As the beneficial effect and minute adverse influence of Celastrol on the renal system requires further elucidation, the renoprotective function of Celastrol in early diabetic nephropathy was investigated.

Methods

In high-fat and high-glucose diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats which is the early diabetic nephropathy model, ALT, AST, 24 h urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine content were observed. Periodic acid-Schiff staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemical analysis, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis were used to explore the renoprotective effect of Celastrol to diabetic nephropathy rats and the underlying mechanism.

Results

High dose of Celastrol (1.5 mg/kg/d) not only improved the kidney function of diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats, and decreased the blood glucose and 24 h urinary albumin, but also increased the expression of LC3II and nephrin, and downregulated the expression of PI3K, p-AKT, and the mRNA level of NF-κB and mTOR.

Conclusion

Celastrol functions as a potential therapeutic substance, acting via the PI3K/AKT pathway to attenuate renal injury, inhibit glomerular basement membrane thickening, and achieve podocyte homeostasis in diabetic nephropathy.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Celastrol slows the progression of early diabetic nephropathy in rats via the PI3K/AKT pathway
Authors
Yusong Nie
Chengxiao Fu
Huimin Zhang
Min Zhang
Hui Xie
Xiaopei Tong
Yao Li
Zhenyan Hou
Xinrong Fan
Miao Yan
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 2662-7671
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-03050-y

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