Soybean-derived antihypertensive hydrolysates attenuate Ang II-induced renal damage by modulating MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Hypertension-induced kidney injury is considered a vital consequence of long-term and uncontrolled hypertension, which is commonly associated with an excessive accumulation of angiotensin II (Ang II) from hyperactivated RAS. Antihypertensive peptides have a significant effect on blood pressure regulation, but few studies have focused on the ameliorative function of antihypertensive peptides on renal injury. This study explored the effects of soybean protein-derived hydrolysate (SPH) on SHR and Ang II-induced HK-2 cells. SPH significantly attenuated blood pressure and alleviated renal pathological injury in SHRs after oral gavage administration. According to the pathological results, the kidneys of SHRs showed inflammation and SPH attenuated inflammatory cell infiltration in the kidneys of SHRs. Immunohistochemical analysis further revealed that SPH inhibited MCP-1 expression and increased Nrf2 expression in the kidneys. An in vitro HK-2 cell model demonstrated that SPH exhibited optimal activity for reducing Ang II-induced inflammatory cytokines and ROS overproduction. Mechanistically, SPH was observed to regulate MAPK/JNK and NF-κB signaling pathways. These findings indicate that potent antihypertensive SPH significantly ameliorates hypertension-induced kidney damage.

Reform in teaching preclinical pathophysiology.

Pathophysiology is a scientific discipline that studies the onset and progression of pathological conditions and diseases, and pathophysiology is one of the core courses in most preclinical medical curricula. In China, most medical schools house a Department of Pathophysiology, in contrast to medical schools in many developed countries. The staff in Chinese Departments of Pathophysiology generally consists of full-time instructors or lecturers who teach medical students. These lecturers are sometimes lacking in clinic knowledge and experiences. To overcome this, in recent years, we have been trying to bring new trends in teaching pathophysiology into our curriculum. Our purpose in writing this article was to share our experiences with our colleagues and peers worldwide in the hope that the insights we have gained in pathophysiology teaching will be of some value to educators who advocate teaching reform in medical schools.