Abstract
The protective effect of collagen peptide from Acaudina molpadioides (Amp) on acute kidney injury (AKI) in mice and its mechanism were explored. The results showed that Amp-fed could effectively improve the renal mass index and histopathological morphology. The levels of serum creatinine and urea nitrogen decreased significantly, while the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased significantly in Amp-fed groups. Western blot results disclosed that Amp significantly upregulates the levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Nrf2, p-PI3K, and p-AKT in the kidney. In addition, Amp could significantly downregulate the levels of nuclear factor NF-kappa-B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), inflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β). These findings provide evidence that Amp plays a protective role in AKI via attenuation of oxidative stress and inflammation mediated by PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathways. This study laid a foundation for the application of Amp in the prevention of AKI.