ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the effect of anisodamine on expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the kidneys of exhausted rats.Methods Forty-eight male SD rats weighing 200-220 g were randomly divided into 3 groups:control group (group Ⅰ ) (.n =8) ; exhaustion group (group Ⅱ ) ( n =24) and anisodamine group (gronp Ⅲ) (n =16).In groups Ⅱ and Ⅲ exhaustion was induced by exhausting swimming and defined by (1) the animal sank to the bottom and stayed for＞ 10 s during swimming,(2) uncoordinated swimming,and (3) the animal lost escape/righting reflex when placed on the table In group Ⅲ intraperitoneal anisodamine 10 mg/kg was administered at 20 min before swimming.The animals were sacrificed immediately (T1 ),6 h (T2 ) and 24 h (T3 ) after exhaustion respectively.Their kidneys were obtained for detection of apoptosis and determination of TLR4 protein (by immuno-histochemical staining) and mRNA (by RT-PCR).Results Exhaustion significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells and up-regulated TLR4 protein and mRNA expression in group Ⅱ as compared with group Ⅰ,and anisodamine significantly attenuated the exhaustion-induced increase in the number of apoptotic cells and up-regulation of TLR4 protein and mRNA expression in group Ⅲ as compared with group Ⅱ.Conclusion Anisodamine can decrease apoptosis in renal cells in exhausted rats bydown-regulating TLR4 expression.