Objective:To investigate the effect of pirfenidone (PFD) on the proliferation of human glomerular mesangial cells (HMC) stimulated by serum IgA1 in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and its possible mechanism.Methods:Serum IgA1 of IgAN patients was purified by Jacalin affinity chromatography combined with Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration, and then heated to aggregated form (aIgA1). CCK8 method was used to confirm the concentration and time of PFD. The cells were divided into blank control group, IgA1 (0.5 mg/ml) group and IgA1 (0.5 mg/ml)+PFD (2 mmol/L) group. The CCK8 method was used to detect proliferation of mesangial cells. The cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry, and the proliferation index of mesangial cells was calculated. The expression levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), Smad4, Smad7, fibronectin (FN) and collagen Ⅳ protein and mRNA were detected through Western blotting and real-time PCR.Results:Compared with blank control group, the proliferation of HMC was promoted significantly by aIgA1 ( P<0.05). After PFD treatment, the proliferation of HMC was significantly inhibited ( P<0.01). Compared with the blank control group, the number of G1 phase cells decreased, the number of S phase cells and cell proliferation index increased in IgA1 group (all P<0.05). Compared with IgA1 group, the number of cells in G1 phase increased significantly, the number of cells in S phase and G2/M phase decreased significantly, and the cell proliferation index decreased in IgA1+PFD group (all P<0.05). Western blotting and real-time PCR results showed that compared with the blank control group, the protein and mRNA expressions of collagen Ⅳ, FN and Smad4 in HMC stimulated by aIgA1 were significantly increased, while TGF-β1 protein expression was increased and Smad7 protein expression was decreased (all P<0.05). After PFD treatment, the protein and mRNA expression of collagen Ⅳ, FN and Smad4 in HMC was significantly decreased, while TGF-β1 protein expression was obviously decreased, and Smad7 protein was up-regulated (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the mRNA expression of TGF-β1 and Smad7 in each group before and after PFD treatment (all P>0.05). Conclusions:PFD can increase the arrest of HMC in G1 phase, inhibit the proliferation of HMC induced by aIgA1 of IgAN patients, and reduce the production of extracellular matrix. The mechanism may be related to up-regulation of Smad7 expression and down-regulation of TGF-β1/Smad4 pathway.

Objective:To search for circulating complement-related proteins that predict hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) based on reports of the development of gestational hypertension and proteinuria and to investigate the role of the complement system in the development of HDP.Methods:A nested case-control study was used, the serum samples of pregnant women who had been given birth or cesarean section in Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from November 2014 to March 2017 were collected. A total of 60 HDP and 60 normal pregnant women were included and matched 1∶1 by age and gestational week. Unlabeled mass spectrometry was used to screen the differential expression of complement factors in serum samples of 12 pairs of HDP patients and normal pregnancy collected before 20 weeks of pregnancy, and another 48 pairs of serum samples of HDP patients and normal pregnant women were used for preliminary verification. It was selected when the fold change (FC) of complement factor expression was>1.2 or <0.8 and P<0.05. ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of corresponding factors. Results:FC of serum C1s, C8 beta chain (C8β) and C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) of HDP patients were 1.19, 1.23, 0.73 ( t=2.07, 2.06, -3.40; P<0.05), respectively. FC of serum C1s, C8 β, C1-INH, factor H-related protein 5 (CFHR5), clusterin (CLU), and C-reactive protein (CRP) of PE patients were 1.39, 1.50, 0.72, 2.49,4.38, and 1.82 respectively ( t=4.36, 5.61, -3.70, 6.82, 8.70, 7.27; P<0.05).The AUC of combining C1s, C8 β and C1-INH was 0.89 in HDP. The AUC of CFHR5, CLU, and CRP in preeclampsia was 0.88, 0.92, and 0.91. Conclusions:Before HDP, the activation and regulation of classic complement pathway and alternative pathway were disordered in pregnant women. The combined detection of complement C1s, C8 β and C1-INH is expected to be used in the prediction of HDP, and CFHR5, CLU, and CRP are expected to be used in the prediction of preeclampsia.

Paridis Rhizoma， a traditional valuable Chinese herbal medicine， has the functions of clearing heat and removing toxin， relieving edema and pain， cooling liver and calming convulsion， which can be used to treat various diseases such as mumps， abscess， burn， bleeding， and tumor. It has been used in folk medicine for a long time and is the main raw material of various Chinese patent medicines such as Gongxuening Capsules and Yunnan Baiyao. Polyphyllin Ⅰ， an isospirostanol saponin and one of the main active components in Paridis Rhizoma， is distributed in the rhizome， pericarp， and leaves of Paris polyphylla. With high polarity， polyphyllin Ⅰ is mainly extracted by n-butanol extraction and macroporous adsorption resin chromatography， separated by silica gel column chromatography and preparative high performance liquid chromatography， and purified with the combination of methods. With anti-tumor， anti-inflammatory， antibacterial， and anti-virus effects， it is generally employed to treat liver cancer， lung cancer， gastric cancer and other cancers as well as arthritis， influenza， sore toxin， and bacterial infection. However， polyphyllin Ⅰ may cause stomach irritation， hemolysis， liver damage， kidney damage， heart damage， and other adverse reactions. Pharmacokinetic studies show that it has problems such as low bioavailability and poor intestinal absorption and permeability， which affect the clinical application of polyphyllin Ⅰ. This paper summarizes the research on the plant sources， extraction and separation methods， pharmacological effects， adverse reactions， and pharmacokinetics of polyphyllin Ⅰ in recent years， which is expected to provide a reference for the rational clinical application and other in-depth research work of polyphyllin Ⅰ.