Abstract
BACKGROUND: Excessive activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and down-regulation of Sirt1/Smad3 deacetylation pathway play a significant role in the evolution of renal fibrosis. In China, it has been well known that Chinese herbal medicine is markedly effective in treating chronic kidney disease (CKD). Shen Shuai IIRecipe (SSR) has been used clinically for more than 20 years and has been confirmed to be effective in improvements of renal function and fibrosis. However, the specific mechanisms under the efficacy require further research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether SSR could alleviate renal injury and fibrosis by regulating NLRP3 inflammasome and Sirt1/Smad3 deacetylation pathway. METHODS: Four weeks after 5/6 ablation/infarction (A/I) surgery, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups: sham operation group, 5/6 (A/I) group, 5/6 (A/I) + SSR group, and 5/6 (A/I) + Losartan group (5/6 (A/I) + Los). After 8 weeks intervention,we mainly assessed the severity of renal injury and fibrosis along with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and Sirt1/Smad3 deacetylation pathway. RESULTS: SSR significantly attenuated renal injury and fibrosis in the remnant kidneys. In addition, we found that SSR effectively inhibited activation of NLRP3/ASC/Caspase-1/IL-1βcascade, decreased inflammatory infiltration and up-regulated Sirt1/Smad3 deacetylation pathway. CONCLUSIONS: SSR could contribute to renal protection by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and, furthermore, strengthen the antifibrotic effects by up-regulating Sirt1/Smad3 deacetylation pathway in 5/6 renal (A/I) model.