Experimental Study of Yougui Pills on Related Factors of SREBP Pathway in Kidney Yang Deficiency and Hyperlipidemia Rats / 广州中医药大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effects of Yougui Pills (YP) intervention on SREBP pathway related factors of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c ( SREBP-1c) , cholesteryl ester transfer protein ( CETP) and fatty acid synthase ( FAS) protein and gene expression in kidney yang deficiency hyperlipidemia rat model. Methods Sixty SD rats were divided into normal control group, model group (in the dosage of 2.43 g/kg), and YP group. Rat model of kidney yang deficiency hyperlipidemia was induced with intramuscular injection of hydrocortisone. Normal control group and model group were given normal saline, and YP group was given YP suspension intragastrically. After treatment, the hepatic pathomorphology of rats in the three groups was examined, and the contents of serum lipids were examined. Hepatic SREBP-1c, CETP and FAS protein expression was detected by Western-blotting method, and their mRNA expression was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR) . Results Compared with the normal control group, serum triglyceride ( TG ) , total cholesterol ( TC ) , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) contents were significantly increased (P<0.01), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly decreased (P<0.01), and hepatic pathomorphological changes of hyperlipoidemia were obvious in the model group. Compared with the model group, TG, TC, LDL-C contents were significantly decreased ( P<0.01) , and HDL-C was significantly increased (P<0.01) in YP group. Model group had higher SREBP-1c, CETP and FAS mRNA and protein expression than the normal control group ( P<0.05) , while YP group had lower SREBP-1c, CETP and FAS mRNA and protein expression than the model group ( P<0.05) . Conclusion YP can decrease the blood lipid levels probably by down-regulating the expression levels of SREBP-1c, CETP and FAS gene and protein related to the the SREBP pathway in rats of kidney yang deficiency hyperlipidemia induced by intramuscular injection of hydrocortisone.