The Clinical Teaching and Research Department, School of Zhang Zhongjing Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, Henan 473004, P.R. China.
Mol Med Rep. 2017 Aug;16(2):1055-1062. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2017.6707. Epub 2017 Jun 7.
Berberine (BBR) is a material extracted from Chinese herbs, which has been used in the treatment of diabetes in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. However, the importance of BBR in renal fibrosis remains to be elucidated. In the present study, streptozotocin‑induced diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats were used to determine the effect of BBR on renal fibrosis. The pathology of the kidneys was examined using periodic acid‑Schiff (PAS) and Masson staining. The expression levels of transforming growth factor‑β (TGF‑β) and α smooth muscle actin (α‑SMA) in kidneys were observed using immunohistochemical staining. The mRNA and protein expression levels of TGF‑β, α‑SMA, vimentin, nuclear factor‑κB were examined using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. PAS and Masson staining revealed that there was notable glomerular hypertrophy and mesangial matrix expansion in DN rats. Immunohistochemistry revealed that there was a significant increase in TGF‑β and α‑SMA expression levels in the renal tubulointerstitium and the extracellular matrix. However, treatment with BBR may significantly reduce kidney injury. The protein and mRNA expression levels of TGF‑β, vimentin and α‑SMA were significantly increased in DN rats compared with the control group; however, this increase was reduced following treatment with BBR. The present study revealed that BBR may inhibit fibrosis and ameliorate the symptoms of DN. The current findings indicated that BBR may be used as a potential treatment for patients with DN.
小檗碱（BBR）是一种从中草药中提取的物质，在中国医学中已用于治疗糖尿病数千年。然而，BBR 在肾纤维化中的重要性仍有待阐明。本研究使用链脲佐菌素诱导的糖尿病肾病（DN）大鼠来确定 BBR 对肾纤维化的影响。使用过碘酸-Schiff（PAS）和 Masson 染色检查肾脏的病理变化。通过免疫组织化学染色观察肾脏中转化生长因子-β（TGF-β）和α平滑肌肌动蛋白（α-SMA）的表达水平。使用逆转录-定量聚合酶链反应和 Western blot 分别检查 TGF-β、α-SMA、波形蛋白、核因子-κB 的 mRNA 和蛋白表达水平。PAS 和 Masson 染色显示 DN 大鼠有明显的肾小球肥大和系膜基质扩张。免疫组织化学显示 TGF-β和α-SMA 在肾小管间质和细胞外基质中的表达水平显著增加。然而，BBR 治疗可能显著减轻肾脏损伤。与对照组相比，DN 大鼠的 TGF-β、波形蛋白和α-SMA 的蛋白和 mRNA 表达水平显著增加；然而，BBR 治疗后这种增加减少。本研究表明，BBR 可能抑制纤维化并改善 DN 的症状。目前的研究结果表明，BBR 可用于治疗 DN 患者。
