ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Shenshuning Recipe (SSNR) on gene expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in renal tissues in rats with glomerulosclerosis. METHODS: Glomerulosclerosis was induced in 42 rats by unilateral nephrectomy and intravenous injection of doxorubicin. Then these 42 rats were randomly divided into three groups: untreated group, SSNR-treated group and benazepril-treated group. Another eight rats were included into sham-operation group. The rats in the SSNR-treated group and the benazepril-treated group were fed SSNR or benazepril respectively for 8 weeks. The levels of 24 h urine protein (Upr), serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of rats in each group were examined. The renal morphological changes were observed under microscope, and the diameter of glomerular capillary, mesangial matrix and glomerulosclerosis index were analyzed by image analysis software. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was used to detect the gene expression of HGF in the renal tissues. RESULTS: The levels of 24 h Upr, serum Cr and BUN in the untreated group were remarkably increased than those in the sham-operation group (P<0.01). The pathological morphological changes in the untreated group showed that the glomerulosclerosis was diffused around the renal tissue and the capillaries were shrunk. The expression level of mesangial matrix was up-regulated and the glomerulosclerosis index was 3.32+/-0.35. The expression level of HGF mRNA in the untreated group was obviously lower than that in the sham-operation group (P<0.05). The levels of 24 h Upr, serum Cr and BUN in the SSNR-treated group and the benazepril-treated group were remarkably decreased as compared with those in the untreated group, while the expression levels of HGF mRNA were both obviously higher than that in the untreated group (P<0.01). The pathological morphological changes in the SSNR-treated group and the benazepril-treated group were both alleviated. There was no significant difference in therapeutic effect between the SSNR-treated group and the benazepril-treated group. CONCLUSION: Shenshuning Recipe can up-regulate the expression of HGF mRNA, decrease the mesangial matrix, and improve the renal function, so that it may retard the development of glomerulosclerosis.