Effects of sesamin on ameliorating kidney injury in spontaneously hyperten-sive rats and its relationship with PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway / 中国病理生理杂志

ABSTRACT

AIM:To study the effects of sesamin (Ses) on attenuating renal injury in spontaneously hyperten-sive rats (SHR) and its relationship with PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.METHODS:Spontaneously hypertensive rats were randomly divided into 4 groupsmodel (SHR) group, Ses low-dose (80 mg/kg) group, Ses high-dose (160 mg/kg) group and captopril (30 mg/kg) group.Another 7 WKY rats were given 0.5%sodium carboxymethylcellulose ( CMC-Na, the solvent was used to dissolve the drugs) as control group.Meanwhile, the rats in drug treatment groups were given the corresponding drugs.All animals were administered intragastrically once a day, and the blood pressure was measured every 2 weeks before and after the beginning of the administration.After 12 weeks, blood urea nitrogen ( BUN) , serum creatinine ( SCr ) , urine micro-albumin ( U-mAlb ) , malondialdehyde ( MDA ) and superoxide dismutase ( SOD ) were measured.The pathological changes of the renal tissues were observed under microscope with HE and Masson staining.Ap-optotic rate of nephridial tissue was determined by TUNEL method.The protein levels of p-AKT, p-mTOR, 4EBP1, S6K1, Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by Western blot.RESULTS:Ses decreased the diastolic blood pressure of SHR, significantly ameliorated the pathological damage in the nephridial tissues.Compared with model group, Ses was obviously reduced the contents of SCr, BUN, U-mAlb, MDA and apoptotic rate of the kidney, decreased the protein levels of p-AKT, p-mTOR, 4EBP1, S6K1 and Bax, and increased the protein expression of Bcl-2 and SOD activity.CONCLUSION:The protective effects of Ses against renal injury in SHR may be related to decreasing blood pressure, increasing anti-oxidative stress, re-straining apoptosis and inhibiting over-activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.