ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effects of anemoside B4 on the blood oxygen stress, inflanmation state and the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins in kidney tissue of the rats with chronic renal failure (CRF), and to illuminate the mechanism of anemoside B4 in protecting the kidney tissue of the CRF rats. Methods: A total of 75 SD male rats were divided into control group, model group, positive control group, low dose of anemoside B4 group and high dose of anemoside B4 group. The CRF rat models were established by continuous administration of adenine for 21 d. After successful modeling, the rats in low and high doses of anemoside B4 groups were given 1 and 2 mg · kg-1 anemoside B4 by gavage and the rats in positive control group were given 0.5 mg · kg-1 dexamethasone, lasted for 28 d; the rats in control group and model group were given the same amount of normal saline. Biochemical analyzer was used to detect serum urine creatinine (Scr) and urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. The kit method was used to detect the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in kidney tissue of the rats. ELISA was used to detect the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factro-α (TNF-α) in kidney tissue of the rats. Western blotting method was used to detect the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway and the expression levels of apopotosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 in kindey tissue. Results: Compared with control group, the serum Scr and BUN levels of the rats in model group were increased (P<0.01), the number of normal glomerulus and renal corpuscles were decreased, the activity of SOD in kidney tissue was decreased (P<0.01), the levels of MDA, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α were increased (P< 0.01), the expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3 proteins were increased (P<0.01), and the expression levels of p-Akt and Bcl-2 proteins were decreased (P<0.01). Compared with model group, the serum Scr and BUN levels of the rats in positive control group, low and high doses of anemoside B4 groups were significantly decreased (P< 0.01), the number of normal glomerulus and renal corpuscles were increased significantly, the activities of SOD in kidney tissue were increased significantly (P<0.01), the levels of MDA, IL-lβ, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly decreased (P<0.01), the protein expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3 were decreased significantly (P<0.01), and the expression levels of p-Akt and Bcl-2 proteins were increased significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion: Anemoside B4 can protect the renal tissue injury by reducing the levels of Scr and BUN in serum, reducing oxidative stress response, reducing the release of inflammatory factors, and activating the PI3K/Akt pathway of renal tissue.
ABSTRACT
Plants not only evolve but also reduce oxygen in photosynthesis. An inevitable consequence of this normal process is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Plants are adequately protected by the presence of multiple antioxidative enzymes in the cytosol and also in the different cell organelles such as chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes. Traditionally, ROS were considered to be only a toxic byproduct of aerobic metabolism. However, recently it has become apparent that plants actively produce these molecules which may control many different physiological processes such as abiotic and biotic stress response, pathogen defense and systemic signaling. The search results using the Citrus Genome Program in Brazil (CitEST) for oxidative stress and the antioxidant enzyme system in Citrus Sinensis variety Pera IAC indicated that the multiple ROS-scavenging enzymes were expressed throughout all citrus tissues. The analyses demonstrated the ubiquitous expression of metallothioneins, probably indicating a constitutive expression pattern. Oxalate oxidase has been identified as the most abundant expressed gene in developing fruits, which suggests a specific function in the ripening of citrus fruit. Moreover, infected leaves with Xylella fastidiosa and Leprosis citri showed a massive change in their ROS gene expression profile which may indicate that the suppression of ROS detoxifying mechanisms may be involved in the induction of the diseases.