Effect of Yiqi Tongluo Decoction on proteinuria and inflammatory factors in Heymann rats with nephritis

Gan Lu; Zhang Chunjian; Li Ying; Li Na; Shang Jing; Dong Zhuang; Zheng Jiaxin

doi:10.11986/j.issn.1673-873X.2023.12.004

Abstract：Objective This study aimed to observe the effect of Yiqi Tongluo Decoction on proteinuria and inflammatory fac-tors[interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)]in a passive Heymann nephritis rat model and to pre-liminarily explore its mechanism in treating membranous nephropathy(MN).Methods Rats were randomly allocated to a blank control group,a model group,a positive drug control group,and low,medium,and high dose groups of Yiqi Tongluo Decoction.After 21 days of administration,24-hour urinary protein,serum albumin(ALB),blood creatinine(Scr),IL-6,and TNF-α levels were measured in rats.Kidney tissue morphology was observed by PAS and Masson staining.The expres-sion of relevant proteins was determined by Western blot.Results Compared with the blank control group,the model group rats showed severe pathological damage in the kidneys.Specifically,we found significant proliferation of glomerular mesangium and basement membrane,glomerulosclerosis,and connective tissue proliferation;we also found significant in-crease in the expression of p-IKB/IKB and p-p65/p65 proteins,and 24-hour urinary protein,and Scr,IL-6,and TNF-α lev-els(P＜0.05).Meanwhile,ALB was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the rats in the positive drug control group and low,medium,and high dose groups of Yiqi Tongluo Decoction showed varying degrees of downregulation in the expression of p-IKB/IKB and p-p65/p65(P＜0.05).A significant decrease was observed in urinary protein quantification,Scr,TNF-α,and IL-6 levels(P＜0.05).A significant increase was observed in ALB(P＜0.05).The degree of glomerulosclerosis and connective tissue proliferation was reduced.Conclusion Yiqi Tongluo Decoction can effectively reduce proteinuria and Scr in the Heymann nephritis rat model,increase ALB,and improve renal tissue inflam-mation by downregulating the expression of p-IKB/IKB and p-p65/p65 and decreasing IL-6 and TNF-α levels in rats,thus protecting the kidneys.