1.Prednisone combined with icariin enhances the therapeutic effect of steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome
Shuwen DUAN ; Yajun WEI ; Tiankai WU ; Xiaohui WANG ; Zhaoran DING ; Can LIU ; Enlai DAI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2024;29(10):1081-1090
AIM:To explore the therapeutic effect and possible molecular mechanisms of prednisone combined with icariin(ICA)on hormone resistant nephrotic syndrome(SRNS).METHODS:In the in vi-vo experiment,rats were divided into control group,SRNS group,prednisone group,and P+I group.Each group was given corresponding drugs for 6 weeks.Detection of 24-hour urinary protein in rats using CBB;The blood biochemistry analyzer de-tects rat albumin,total cholesterol,triglycerides,creatinine,and urea nitrogen;HE and Masson were used to detect morphological changes in rat kidney tissue;Immunohistochemical detection of GR-α,GR-β,NLRP3,caspase-1,GSDMD,IL-1β.In the in vi-tro experiment,HK-2 cell injury model with doxoru-bicin,divided into control group,SRNS group,pred-nisone group,P+l group.GR-α,GR-β,NLRP3,cas-pase-1,GSDMD were detected by Rt-PCR and West-ern blot.RESULTS:In the in vivo experiment,com-pared with the control group,the SRNS group showed weight loss,increased 24-hour urine pro-tein,decreased albumin,increased total cholester-ol,triglycerides,creatinine,and urea nitrogen,renal tubular atrophy,increased renal interstitial area,sig-nificant infiltration of inflammatory cells,fibrous tis-sue proliferation,and GR-β,NLRP3,caspase-1,GSD-MD,IL-1 β in renal tissue decreased(P<0.01);Com-pared with the SRNS group,the combined group showed weight gain,decreased 24-hour urine pro-tein,increased albumin,decreased total cholester-ol,triglycerides,creatinine,and urea nitrogen,re-duced renal tubular atrophy,reduced interstitial in-flammatory cell infiltration,reduced fibrosis,and and GR-α,NLRP3,caspase-1,GSDMD in renal tissue decreased increased(P<0.01).In vitro experiments,compared with the control group,the model group showed GR-β,NLRP3,caspase-1,and GSDMD in-creased(P<0.01),GR-α decreased(P<0.01);Com-pared with the SRNS group,GR-β,NLRP3,caspase-1,and GSDMD decreased(P<0.01),GR-α increased in the P+I group.CONCLUSION:The combination of prednisone and ICA has a protective effect on the kidneys of SRNS rats and can improve the therapeu-tic effect.The mechanism may be related to the NL-RP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway.
2. Role of heterotrimer G protein in podocyte injury
Can LIU ; Enlai DAI ; Zhaoran DING ; Shuwen DUAN ; Xiaohui WANG ; Enlai DAI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2024;29(2):177-187
GPCRs are the largest membrane protein receptor superfamily in the human body, with more than 800 isoforms, and approximately 35% of Food and Drug Administration-approved and marketed drugs currently target GPCRs for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, for heart failure (beta-adrenergic receptors), peptic ulcer (histamine receptors), prostate cancer (gonadotropin receptors), hypertension (adrenergic and angiotensin receptors), pain (opioid receptors), and bronchial asthma (beta2-adrenergic receptors) examples. Although the number of GPCRs is enormous, the signaling proteins downstream of them are limited, heterotrimeric G proteins (GPs) are key proteins that signal GPCRs, translate extracellular stimuli into intracellular responses by coupling to GPCRs and initiate multiple signaling events via downstream cascades. Podocytes are an important component of the glomerular filtration barrier, and their damage is a central event in proteinuria formation and progressive glomerulosclerosis. This article reviews the regulation of GPs, their signaling and their role in podocyte injury to provide a theoretical basis for scientific research and clinical treatment of this disease.