title: The Protective Effect of Beraprost Sodium on Diabetic Nephropathy by Inhibiting Inflammation and p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway in High-Fat Diet/Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.
abstract: Background. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) plays a crucial role in regulating signaling pathways implicated in inflammatory processes leading to diabetic nephropathy (DN). This study aimed to examine p38 MAPK activation in DN and determine whether beraprost sodium (BPS) ameliorates DN by inhibiting inflammation and p38 MAPK signaling pathway in diabetic rats. Methods. Forty male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, type 2 diabetic group, and BPS treatment group. At the end of the 8-week experiment, we measured renal pathological changes and the activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway and inflammation. Result. After BPS treatment, renal function, 24-hour urine protein, lipid profiles, and blood glucose level were improved significantly; meanwhile, inflammation and the expression of p38 MAPK signaling pathway in the diabetic kidney were attenuated. Conclusions. BPS significantly prevented type 2 diabetes induced kidney injury characterized by renal dysfunction and pathological changes. The protective mechanisms are complicated but may be mainly attributed to the inhibition of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway and inflammation in the diabetic kidney.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command (Jinling Hospital), 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command (Jinling Hospital), 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command (Jinling Hospital), 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
authors.forename: Yixing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command (Jinling Hospital), 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
authors.forename: Yangtian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command (Jinling Hospital), 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command (Jinling Hospital), 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
authors.forename: Jiaqing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai 200003, China.
authors.forename: Zhimin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu