Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of Sauchinone(Sch)on renal tissue fibrosis and to explore its mechanism in unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO)mice.Methods Forty male ICR mice were divided into Sham,UUO-Model,Sch Low-dose,Sch High-dose,and positive control(Val)groups.Mice in the sham group underwent isolation of the left renal ureter without ligation,and mice in the UUO-Model group underwent stripping of the left proximal ureter for double ligation.Starting on day 2 after surgery,the Sch Low-dose group received 10 mg/kg Sch,the Sch High-dose group received 30 mg/kg Sch,and the Val group received 100 mg/kg valsartan by gavage once daily for 4 weeks.At the end of drug administration,serum creatinine(SCr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),and the inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-6 were measured.Superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity,and malondialdehyde(MDA)and reactive oxygen species(ROS)content were detected in renal tissues.TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA levels were detected in renal tissues by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Pathological changes and collagen deposition,as well as transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1,Smad3,and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)protein expression in mouse renal tissues were detected by hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining,and immunohistochemistry.Collagen Ⅰ,CTGF,Smad3,nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),and nuclear factor(NF)-κB protein expression in renal tissues were detected by Western Blot.Results SCr,BUN,TNF-α,and IL-6 were all significantly reduced in Sch Low-dose and Sch High-dose mice compared with the UUO-Model group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),while SOD activity was significantly higher and MDA and ROS levels were significantly lower in renal tissues(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA in renal tissues were significantly reduced(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Microscopic observation of swollen renal tubules with thylakoid hyperplasia and collagen fiber deposition was significantly improved.Immunohistochemistry showed a significant reduction in TGF-β1,Smad3,and CTGF protein expression in renal tissues,and Western Blot showed significantly reduced levels of Collagen Ⅰ,CTGF,Smad3,and NF-κB protein expression(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),while Nrf2 and HO-1 protein expression levels were significantly elevated(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusions The amelioration of renal tissue fibrosis by sauchinone may be mediated via anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress effects that modulate the expression of pro-fibrotic proteins in the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway.

AIM:To investigate the ameliorative effect of nociceptin/orphanin(N/OFQ)on anxiety-like be-havior in nicotine(NIC)withdrawal-induced rats and its regulatory mechanisms on the expression of neurotransmitters as-sociated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis and inflammatory factors.METHODS:Thirty-two adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:normal control group,NIC withdrawal model group,low-dose N/OFQ treatment group,and high-dose N/OFQ treatment group,with 8 rats in each group.To establish NIC with-drawal model,the rats in the NIC model and N/OFQ treatment groups were subcutaneously injected with NIC(0.4 mg/kg),twice a day for 7 consecutive days followed by 3 days of withdrawal.During the withdrawal period,the rats in the low and high-dose N/OFQ treatment groups received intracerebroventricular injection of N/OFQ(1 nmol or 10 nmol)once per day for 3 consecutive days.Ten minutes after the third administration,all rats underwent open filed(OF)and elevated plus maze(EPM)tests to detect behavioral changes.The serum concentrations of corticotrophin-releasing hormone(CRH),adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH),corticosterone(CORT),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and IL-6 were measured by ELISA.The mRNA expression levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 in the central nu-cleus of the amygdala(CeA)of the brain were detected by RT-qPCR.Histological changes in neuron morphology in the CA1 region of the hippocampus were observed under a light microscope following hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.Norepinephrine(NE)levels in the CeA of the brain were determined by HPLC.The protein expression of tyrosine hydroxy-lase(TH)in the CeA of the brain was detected by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with the NIC withdrawal model group,rats in the low and high-dose N/OFQ treatment groups showed significant increase in the distance and time spent in the central area of the open field(P<0.05 or P<0.01),as well as significant increase in the number of entries and the per-centage of time spent in the open arms of the EPM(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Furthermore,both low and high-dose N/OFQ treatment groups significantly inhibited serum concentrations of CRH,ACTH and CORT in NIC withdrawal rats(P<0.01).N/OFQ administration also significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6 in the serum,as well as expression levels of TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA in the CeA(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The treatment with N/OFQ at both doses significantly alleviated neuronal damage in the CA1 region of the hippocampus and markedly re-duced thelevels of NE and TH protein expression in the CeA of NIC withdrawal rats(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:N/OFQ alleviates anxiety-like behavior in NIC withdrawal rats through mechanisms related to the regulation of HPA axis hormone levels and inflammatory factors.