title: [Effects of erigeron injection on renal interstitial fibrosis in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect and mechanism of Erigeron Injection (EI) on renal interstitial fibrosis in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model rats were taken as the subject of study. Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group (A), the UUO model group (B) and the treatment group (C) treated with intraperitoneal injection of EI 5 mL/kg per day from 24 h before to 9 days after the operation. On the 10th day of UUO, rats were killed and their kidneys were processed to paraffin sections with HE, PAS and picro-sirius-red staining. The pathological change of renal tubular interstitial tissue and relative cortical/interstitial volume (C/I) as well as the relative content of collagen (RC) were observed by light microscope. The expression of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and collagen I in the renal mesenchyma were examined by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Marked renal interstitial fibrosis changes were found in Group B and C, but the changes were milder in Group C. C/I and RC were higher in Groups B and C as compared with those in Group A (P < 0.01), but they were much lower in Group C than in Group B (P < 0.01). The expression of TGF-beta1, alpha-SMA and collagen I were higher in Group B and C than those in Group A (P < 0.05), but they were lower in Group C than in Group B (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EI could ameliorate renal interstitial fibrosis in rats, which might be partially realized by down-regulating the expression of TGF-beta1 to prevent the renal epithelial cell differentiation and reducing the synthesis of collagen I.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing. ying-huideng20046@sina.com
authors.forename: Ying-hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Qiong-zhen
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D049919:Erigeron / Q000737:chemistry*; D005355:Fibrosis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014517:Ureteral Obstruction / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta