title: [Effect of saffor (Carthamus tinctorius) injection on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect and mechanism of saffor injection on renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five SD rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 15, in each), normal control groups, I/R control groups, low-dose treatment groups, middle-dose treatment groups and high-dose treatment groups. After rat's I/R injury model was established, renal function was assessed by measuring serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urine osmotic pressure and urine osmotic pressure/blood osmotic pressure, the apoptosis rate in I/R renal tissure was measured by TUNEL method and caspase-3 concentration was measured by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reperfusion of the ischemic kidney induced marked renal dysfunction. Saffor injection significantly inhibited the reperfusion-associated increase in apoptosis rate and caspase-3 protein absorbance value. Moreover, the renal dysfunction at all treatment groups was markedly ameliorated by Saffor injection. (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show that saffor injection significantly reduces the renal dysfunction and injury caused by I/R of the kidney, And the protective effect of Saffor injection may be related to the inhibition of cell apoptosis and caspase-3 gene expression following renal I/R.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The No. 5 Hospital of Chongqing, Chongqing 400062, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Xiao-Hou
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chun-Li
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Yun-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Liang-Suo
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D031187:Carthamus tinctorius / Q000737:chemistry; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007267:Injections; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D003404:Creatinine; D053148:Caspase 3