title: The effect of esculentoside A on lupus nephritis-prone BXSB mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  EsA was reported to have the effect of modulating immune response, cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as anti-inflammatory effects in acute and chronic experimental models. However, the effects of EsA on LN remain poorly understood. To investigate the roles of EsA in LN, the effects of EsA were tested on BXSB mice, a SLE model, in which male SB/Le mice and female C57BL/6 mice were hybridized through recombinant inbred species.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty four BXSB mice were divided into three groups. After 4 weeks, blood samples, urine samples and kidney tissues were collected. Measurement of cytokine levels was carried out using sandwich ELISA reagent kits. Apoptotic scores were obtained with a TUNEL assay. PCNA and Caspase-3 mRNA was detected using the In Situ Hybridization Detection Kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, EsA administration markedly controlled urine protein excretion, improved renal function, alleviated kidney damage and promoted the apoptosis of glomerular intrinsic cells and renal tubular epithelial cells in animals of the treated group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, EsA reduced the serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels (p < 0.05), inhibited the expression of PCNA and promoted the expression of caspase-3, Fas and FasL in animals of the treated group (p < 0.05). The effects of EsA on BXSB mice were similar to dexamethasone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All these findings indicated that EsA might play significant roles in the treatment of BXSB mice through modulation of inflammatory cytokines, inhibition of renal cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis. The special targets of EsA in lupus nephritis are worth further exploration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, Shenzhen, China.
authors.forename: Hualin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Xianggui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xinzhou
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lingguo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shuyan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
keywords: BXSB mice; apoptosis; cytokine; esculentoside A; proliferation