Naoqingtong Decoction Ameliorates Kidney Damage in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats via NLRP3 Inflammasomes
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20241805
- VernacularTitle:基于NLRP3炎症小体探讨脑清通汤对自发性高血压大鼠肾损伤的作用机制
- Author:
Jiaxin JU
1
;
Caocao CHENG
1
;
Teng GE
2
;
Yalong KANG
1
;
Fang GUAN
1
;
Haifang WANG
1
;
Juanjuan TAN
1
Author Information
1. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases， Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine，Xianyang 712000，China
2. Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine，Guangzhou 510000，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome;
Naoqingtong decoction;
spontaneous hypertension;
inflammation;
kidney damage
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2025;31(4):125-131
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Naoqingtong decoction （NQT） on the kidney damage and the inflammatory factors NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a C-terminal caspase recruitment domain （ASC）， cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1 （Caspase-1）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs）. MethodsTwenty-four SHRs were randomized into a model group， a low-dose （12.9 g·kg-1·d-1） NQT （NQT-L） group， a high-dose （25.8 g·kg-1·d-1） NQT group （NQT-H）， and a captopril （CTP， 20 mg·kg-1·d-1） group， with 6 rats in each group. In addition， 6 homozygous male Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as the control group. The control and model groups were administrated with the same amount of normal saline by gavage for 8 weeks. General behaviors of rats were observed during the intervention period， and the blood pressure was measured periodically. At the end of intervention， the body mass was weighed， and both kidneys were collected and weighed for the calculation of the renal index. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to observe the pathological changes in the kidney tissue. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were employed to determine the expression levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， IL-6， and TNF-α in the kidney tissue. ResultsDuring the experiment period， the control group had normal mental status， food intake， and activity， while the model group showed thinning of hair， loss of luster， reduced activity， loss of appetite， fecal adhesion， and irritability， and some of the skin had scratches or blood scabs. The above symptoms were alleviated to different degrees after 8 weeks of NQT administration. An intelligent non-invasive sphygmomanometer was used to measure the tail artery pressure of rats， which showed that the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of rats in the model group was higher than that in the control group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， drug interventions lowered the systolic and diastolic blood pressure （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the control group， the model group showed severe pathological damage in the kidney tissue， which was alleviated in each drug intervention group. Compared with the control group， the model group showed up-regulated expression levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， IL-6， and TNF-α in the kidney tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the drug intervention groups showed down-regulated expression levels of NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， IL-6， and TNF-α in the kidney tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionNQT can lower the blood pressure in SHRs by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes， suppressing renal inflammation， and ameliorating hypertensive kidney damage.
