Research on the protective effect of glycyrrhizin against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice and its mechanisms / 中华器官移植杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the protective effect of glycyrrhizin against renal ischemiareperfusion injury in mice and its mechanisms.Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups of six.Bilateral flank incisions were made,the right kidney was removed and the left kidney was subjected to ischemia using a microvascular clamp,which was removed after 30 min.In the shamoperated group,the mice underwent anesthesia,bilateral flank incisions and a right nephrectomy.In the glycyrrhizin-treated group,the mice were injected with 60 mg/ kg glycyrrhizin 1 h prior to ischemia.In the saline-treated group,the mice were administered with 60 mg/ kg saline.The mice were sacrificed 6 h after reperfusion and the blood and kidney samples were immediately collected for kidney function,inflammatory response and signal pathway test.Results As compared with those in the saline-treated group,the mice in glycyrrhizin0-treated group exhibited notably decreased serum levels of creatine and blood urea nitrogen at 6 h following reperfusion (P＜0.01),the SOA level was significantly reduced (P＜0.01) and the SOD activity was increased.The activity of MPO (P＜0.01)in the glycyrrhizin-treated group was significantly reduced as compared with the saline-treated group,also the serum level of pro-inflammatory TNF-α (P＜0.05),IFN-γ (P＜0.05),IL-1β (P＜0.01) and IL-6 (P＜0.01).Furthermore,the phosphorylated-p38 protein level in the glycyrrhizin-treated group was notably as reduced compared with that in the saline-treated group.Conclusion Pretreatment with glycyrrhizin attenuates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury via inhibition of tissue inflammation by downregulating p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling.