Effect of berberine on expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 and type IV collagen proteins in mesangial cells of diabetic rats with nephropathy / 中国中药杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect and mechanism of berberine on diabetic nephropathy in experimental rats.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The rat model of diabetic nephropathy was induced by injection of streptozocin (STZ). The rats were divided into 6 groups control group, model group, 3 berberine treatment groups and Xiaoke Wan (XKW) treatment group. The fasting blood glucose (FBG), kidney weight/body weight (KW/BW), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr) and urinary protein (Upro) were tested 8 weeks later. The expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and type IV collagen (IV-C) proteins in renal tissue of diabetic rats with nephropathy were observed by optical micrography.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Berberine could reduce the levels of FBG, KW/BW, BUN, Cr, Upro and the expression of TGF-beta1 and IV-C proteins in renal tissue of diabetic rats with nephropathy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Berberine may protect renal function and slow down the progression of diabetic nephropathy in rats by suppressing the expression of TGF-beta1 and IV-C proteins in renal tissue.</p>