A combination of Chinese herbs,Astragalus membranaceus var.mongholicus and Angelica sinensis,suppresses oxidative stress in obstructed rat kidney / 中华肾脏病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the influence of a combination of Chinese herbs,Astragalus membranaceus var.mongholicus and A ngelica sinensis (A&A)on the production and elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS)and the underlying mechanism during the process of renal interstitial fibrosis in the obstructive kidneys of rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction(uuo).Method Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control,sham,UUO and UAA (UUO+A&A)groups.The rats in UAA group were administered with A&A(14 g/kg)by oral gavage once daily:the ones in sham and UUO group were given with equal volumes of water.Three days after setting up models,pathological injury of renal tissue was evaluated.Level of total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)and activity of CuZn superoxide dismutase(CuZn-SOD)in renal homogenates were measured bv spectrophotometry.Expression of NADPH oxidase subunits p47-phox,p22-phox and nintrotyrosine was analyzed by Western blot. Results Severe interstitial inflammatory cells infiltration, mild tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis were found in UUO group, which were alleviated by A&A administration. Compared to sham group, T-AOC of UUO group was not significantly changed, but the expression of the nitrotyrosine, NADPH oxidase subunits p47-phox and p22-phox was increased significantly (P<0.05). After A&A administration, T-AOC level was increased (2.5±1.1 vs 1.5±0.5, P<0.05) and the expression of nitrotyrosine was decreased (P< 0.05) in UAA group compared with UUO group. Additionally, the expression of p47-phox was reduced at day 3 (P<0.05), accompanied with a reduced expression of p22-phox (P< 0.05). CuZn-SOD activity was not significantly changed among the groups. Conclusion The inhibition of A&A in NADPH oxidase subunits p47-phox and p22-phox, which is responsible for reduction of oxidative stress, is associated with the alleviation of renal fibrosis in obstructive rat kidney.