title: Prunella vulgaris Attenuates Diabetic Renal Injury by Suppressing Glomerular Fibrosis and Inflammation.
abstract: Diabetic nephropathy is both the most common complication and the leading cause of mortality associated with diabetes. Prunella vulgaris, a well-known traditional medicinal plant, is used for the cure of abscess, scrofula, hypertension and urinary diseases. This study confirmed whether an aqueous extract of Prunella vulgaris (APV) suppresses renal inflammation and fibrosis. In human mesangial cell (HMC), pretreatment of APV attenuated 25[Formula: see text]mM HG-induced suppressed TGF-[Formula: see text] and Smad-2/4 expression; it increased the expression level of Smad-7. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and collagen IV, fibrosis biomarkers, were significantly decreased by APV. APV suppressed inflammatory factors such as intracellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). APV inhibited activation and translocation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-[Formula: see text]B) in HG-stimulated HMCs. Moreover, APV significantly improved HG-induced ROS in a dose-dependent manner. In diabetic rat models, APV significantly decreased blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and ameliorated plasma creatinine (PCr). APV reduced the PAS positivity staining intensity and basement membrane thickening in glomeruli of diabetic rats. Fibrosis related proteins such as collagen IV and TGF-[Formula: see text]1 were also inhibited by APV. These results suggest that APV has a significant protective effect against diabetic renal dysfunction including inflammation and fibrosis through disruption of the TGF-[Formula: see text]/Smad signaling. Therefore, APV may be useful in potential therapies that target glomerulonephritis and glomerulosclerosis, which lead to diabetic nephropathy.
authors.affiliation: * College of Oriental Medicine and Professional, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|† Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Namgung
authors.affiliation: * College of Oriental Medicine and Professional, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|† Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Joo
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: † Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|‡ College of Pharmacy, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chi-Su
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: * College of Oriental Medicine and Professional, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|† Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Hyuk
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: * College of Oriental Medicine and Professional, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|† Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Sik
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: † Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|‡ College of Pharmacy, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuncheol
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: † Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|‡ College of Pharmacy, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Youn-Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: * College of Oriental Medicine and Professional, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|† Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: * College of Oriental Medicine and Professional, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|† Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Gill
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: * College of Oriental Medicine and Professional, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.|† Hanbang Body-fluid Research Center, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 54538, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ho Sub
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D031347:Prunella / Q000737:chemistry*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C491766:Ccl2 protein, rat; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor; D003094:Collagen
keywords: Diabetic Nephropathy; Glomerular Fibrosis; Mesangial Cells; Prunella vulgaris; Streptozotocin