Abstract
Cordyceps Sinensis, a traditional Chinese medicine and a healthy food, has been used for the treatment of kidney disease for a long time. The aim of present study was to isolate a nucleoside/nucleobase-rich extract from Cordyceps Sinensis (CS-N), determine the contents of nucleosides and nucleobases, and explore its anti-diabetic nephropathy activity. CS-N was isolated and purified by using microporous resin and glucan columns and the unknown compounds were identified by using HPLC-DAD and LC-MS. The effects of CS-N on the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), extracellular matrix (ECM) depositions, and the MAPK signaling pathway were evaluated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice and high glucose (HG)-exposed HK-2 cells. CS-N significantly attenuated the abnormity of renal functional parameters, ameliorated histopathological changes, and inhibited EMT and ECM accumulation by regulating p38/ERK signaling pathways. Our findings indicate that CS-N exerts a therapeutic effect on experimental diabetic renal fibrosis by mitigating the EMT and the subsequent ECM deposition with inhibition of p38 and ERK signaling pathways.
Highlights
Driven by the ageing population, increasingly sedentary lifestyle patterns, and the rising morbidity of obesity, the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is growing at an alarming rate
The nucleosides and nucleobases in Cordyceps Sinensis (CS-N) were analyzed by a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and a liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS)
UV spectra, and mass spectrometry information, we identified nucleoside and nucleobase components in CS-N
Summary
Driven by the ageing population, increasingly sedentary lifestyle patterns, and the rising morbidity of obesity, the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is growing at an alarming rate. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most serious complications in diabetic patients and the primary cause of end-stage renal failure [1]. Despite the enormous burden in health care costs and the extensive and growing morbidity of the disease, there is no effective cure for diabetic nephropathy [3]. Myofibroblasts, the principal effector cells responsible for the synthesis and secretion of ECM, are derived from resident renal fibroblasts, circulating bone marrow precursors, and the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of resident tubuloepithelial cells [4].
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