Wuling Powder Inhibits Renal Fibrosis in Diabetic Nephropathy Mice via NF-κB/NLRP3 Signaling Pathway
Objective:To investigate the effect and mechanism of Wuling Powder on renal fibrosis in db/db mice with diabetic ne-phropathy.Methods:According to body weight,24 8-week-old db/db mice were randomly divided into model group,Wuling Powder group and irbesartan group,8 db/db mice in each group,and 8 db/m mice of the same age were selected as normal group.The Wuling Powder group was given Wuling Powder 7.2 g/(kg·d)by gavage,the irbesartan group was given irbesartan 22.5 mg/(kg·d),db/db mice in the normal group and model group were given equal volume normal saline,all groups were intervened for 8 weeks.The general situation of mice were observed,the content of glycated serum protein(GSP),24 hour urine total protein quantity(24 h-UTP),tri-glyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),serum creatinine(SCr),and blood urea nitrogen(BUN)were tested;the pathological changes of renal tissue were observed by Masson staining;Western blot and qPCR were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of nuclear factor NF-κB p65 and NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)in renal tissue.Results:compared with the normal group,the body weight,the content of GSP,24 h-UTP,TG,TC,SCr,and BUN of db/db mice in the model group increased significantly(P<0.05);the volume of glomerulus increased,the glomerular basement membrane thickened,and a large amount of collagen fibers de-posited in renal interstitium;the mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 in renal tissues increased significantly(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the body weight,the content of GSP,24 h-UTP,TG,TC,SCr,and BUN of db/db mice in the Wuling Power group decreased significantly(P<0.05)after treatment,the content of 24 h-UTP,SCr and BUN of db/db mice in the irbesartan group significantly decreased(P<0.05);the glomerular basement membrane thickening of db/db mice in the Wuling Powder and irbesartan groups was significantly improved,and the collagen fibers deposition in renal interstitium reduced significantly,the mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 in renal tissues significantly decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion:Wuling Pow-der may inhibit renal fibrosis in db/db mice with diabetic nephropathy by regulating NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway.