Effect of stachydrine on expression of PERK of endoplasmic reticulum in renal tissue of rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the effect of stachydrine on the expression of protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) in renal tissue of rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Methods: To establish the animal model of renal interstitial fibrosis induced by UUO. The rats were randomly divided into the Sham, model Enalapril, high-, mid-, and low-dose stachydrine groups. Rats were sacrificed to collect serum for determining the serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) after day 14 of surgery. HE staining was used for observation of kidney pathological changes and the assessment of renal tubular damage indexes. Masson staining was applied to the semi-quantitative analysis of relative area of renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) and degree of RIF. The expression of PERK, activiting transcription factor 4 (ATF4), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) was detected by immunohistochemical methods. Results: Compared with the model group, the levels of Bun, Scr, the tubular injury, the relative area of renal interstitial collagen, and the expression of PERK, ATF4, and CHOP was significantly reduced in the treatment groups (P < 0.05, 0.01). The high stachydrine was more effective than Enalapril in inhibiting RIF (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The stachydrine could inhibit the increasing expressions of ATF4 induced by PERK signaling pathway and CHOP activated by ATF4. The apoptosis are blocked to slow down the occurrence and development of RIF.