Sappanone a prevents diabetic kidney disease by inhibiting kidney inflammation and fibrosis the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Low grade of sterile inflammation plays detrimental roles in the progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Sappanone A (SA), a kind of homoisoflavanone isolated from the heartwood of , exerts anti-inflammatory effects in acute kidney injury. However, whether SA has beneficial effects on diabetic kidney disease remains further exploration. In the present study, uninephrectomized male mice were treated with Streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg) for five consecutive days to induce diabetes. Next, the diabetic mice were administered orally with SA (10, 20, or 30 mg/kg) or vehicle once per day. Our results showed that STZ treatment significantly enhanced damage in the kidney, as indicated by an increased ratio of kidney weight/body weight, elevated serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), as well as increased 24-h urinary protein excretion, whereas SA-treated mice exhibited a markedly amelioration in these kidney damages. Furthermore, SA attenuated the pathological changes, alleviated fibrotic molecules transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and Collagen-IV (Col-IV) production, decreased inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression in STZ-treated mice. Similarly, in glomerular mesangial cells, SA pretreatment decreased high glucose (HG)-induced proliferation, inflammatory cytokines excretion, and fibrotic molecules expression. Mechanistically, SA decreased the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and restored the expression of total NF-κB inhibitor alpha (IκBα) both and . Our data suggest that SA may prevent diabetes-induced kidney inflammation and fibrosis by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway. Hence, SA can be potential and specific therapeutic value in DKD.