Shen Qi Wan ameliorates nephritis in chronic kidney disease via AQP1 and DEFB1 regulation

Abstract

Shen Qi Wan (SQW) has been proven to exert anti-inflammatory effects in the kidneys of CKD models accompanied by unclear therapeutic mechanisms. This study aims to evaluate the kidney-protective and anti-inflammatory effects of SQW and to elucidate its fundamental mechanisms for CKD treatment. Firstly, the main active components of SQW were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technique. Subsequently, we evaluated inflammatory factors, renal function and renal pathology changes following SQW treatment utilizing adenine-induced CKD mice and aquaporin 1 knockout (AQP1-/-) mice. Additionally, we conducted RNA-seq analysis and bioinformatics analysis to predict the SQW potential therapeutic targets and anti-nephritis pathways. Simultaneously, WGCNA analysis method and machine learning algorithms were used to perform a clinical prognostic analysis of potential biomarkers in CKD patients from the GEO database and validated through clinical samples. Lipopolysaccharide-induced HK-2 cells were further used to explore the mechanism. We found that renal collagen deposition was reduced, serum inflammatory cytokine levels decreased, and renal function was improved after SQW intervention. It can be inferred that β-defensin 1 (DEFB1) may be a pivotal target, as confirmed by serum and renal tissue samples from CKD patients. Furthermore, SQW assuages inflammatory responses by fostering AQP1-mediated DEFB1 expression was confirmed in in vitro and in vivo studies. Significantly, the renal-protective effect of SQW is to some extent attenuated after AQP1 gene knockout. SQW could reduce inflammatory responses by modulating AQP1 and DEFB1. These findings underscore the potential of SQW as a promising contender for novel prevention and treatment strategies within the ambit of CKD management.