Yao Tianwen, Su Wenxiang, Han Shisheng, Lu Yan, Xu Yanqiu, Chen Min, Wang Yi
Department of Nephrology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Department of Nephrology, The People's Hospital of Mengzi, Mengzi, China.
Front Pharmacol. 2022 Feb 25;13:816025. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.816025. eCollection 2022.
Podocyte is also called glomerular epithelial cell, which has been considered as the final gatekeeper of glomerular filtration barrier (GFB). As a major contributor to proteinuria, podocyte injury underlies a variety of glomerular diseases and becomes the challenge to patients and their families in general. At present, the therapeutic methods of podocyte injury mainly include angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, steroid and immunosuppressive medications. Nevertheless, the higher cost and side effects seriously disturb patients with podocyte injury. Promisingly, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has received an increasing amount of attention from different countries in the treatment of podocyte injury by invigorating spleen and kidney, clearing heat and eliminating dampness, as well enriching qi and activating blood. Therefore, we searched articles published in peer-reviewed English-language journals through Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. The protective effects of active ingredients, herbs, compound prescriptions, acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of podocyte injury were further summarized and analyzed. Meanwhile, we discussed feasible directions for future development, and analyzed existing deficiencies and shortcomings of TCM in the treatment of podocyte injury. In conclusion, this paper shows that TCM treatments can serve as promising auxiliary therapeutic methods for the treatment of podocyte injury.
足细胞也被称为肾小球上皮细胞，一直被视为肾小球滤过屏障（GFB）的最后一道守门人。作为蛋白尿的主要成因，足细胞损伤是多种肾小球疾病的基础，总体上也给患者及其家庭带来了挑战。目前，足细胞损伤的治疗方法主要包括血管紧张素转换酶抑制剂或血管紧张素受体阻滞剂、类固醇和免疫抑制药物。然而，较高的成本和副作用严重困扰着足细胞损伤患者。令人欣慰的是，传统中医（TCM）在治疗足细胞损伤方面越来越受到各国关注，其通过健脾补肾、清热利湿以及益气活血来实现治疗效果。因此，我们通过谷歌学术、PubMed、科学网和科学直投等渠道搜索了发表在同行评审英文期刊上的文章。进一步总结并分析了活性成分、草药、复方制剂、针灸和艾灸对治疗足细胞损伤的保护作用。同时，我们探讨了未来可行的发展方向，并分析了中医在治疗足细胞损伤方面现有的不足和缺点。总之，本文表明中医治疗可作为治疗足细胞损伤的有前景的辅助治疗方法。
