ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine Sanqi Oral Liquid, composed of Astragalus membranaceus and Panpax notoginseng, in alleviating renal injury by observing its effect on the expressions of CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells in 5/6 nephrectomized rats with chronic renal failure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 102 SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: three treatment groups were administrated with high, medium and low dosage of Sanqi Oral Liquid respectively by gavage; a normal group, a 5/6 nephrectomized model group, and a group treated with coated aldehyde oxygenstarch were used as controls. Following oral administration of Sanqi Oral Liquid for 12 weeks, the general condition and renal pathological changes were observed, and the renal function, platelet count (PLT) and the expressions of CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells were determined for each group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were proliferation of mesangial matrix, renaltubularnecrosis and obvious tubulointerstitial fibrosis in the model group, and they were much milder in the treatment groups. Compared with the model group, the amounts of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr) and PLT in the treatment groups decreased (P<0.05 for all); and in the group administrated of medium dosage of Sanqi Oral Liquid, the expression of CD4(+) cells was up-regulated and those of CD8(+) and CD68(+) cells were down-regulated (P<0.05 for all), leading to an increased ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+)(P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sanqi Oral Liquid has a significant effect on regulating lymphocyte subsets, reducing the infiltration of macrophages in renal tissues and alleviating tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and this may be one of mechanisms of Sanqi Oral Liquid in delaying the progression of chronic kidney diseases.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Administration, Oral , Antigens, CD , Metabolism , Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic , Metabolism , Astragalus propinquus , Chemistry , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes , Pathology , Physiology , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes , Pathology , Physiology , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Pharmacology , Kidney Failure, Chronic , Drug Therapy , Allergy and Immunology , Pathology , General Surgery , Lymphocyte Count , Nephrectomy , Panax notoginseng , Chemistry , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , SolutionsABSTRACT
<p><b>AIM</b>To study the metabolic pathways of ginsenoside Rd in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Urine samples were collected before and after 24 h of single oral administration of 150 mg and intravenous administration of 60 mg of ginsenoside Rd to six rats, separately. The samples were purified by SPE column and then were analyzed by liquid chromatography-ESI-mass spectrometry for putative metabolites.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Parent drug and its seven metabolites were identified in rat urine based on comparing total ion chromatograms of the blank with the metalolic urine as well as mass spectra. Its main metabolic pathways and possible structures are elucidated.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Oxidation, combination and deglucosylation were found to be the major metabolic pathway of ginsenoside Rd in rats.</p>