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Objective: To explore the kidney yang deficiency pattern (KYDP) in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) rat model and the mechanisms underlying the effects of Zhenwu decoction (ZWD) by conducting transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Methods: Adriamycin (ADR) combined with hydrocortisone (HC) was used to induce CKD with KYDP in rats. ADR was injected into the tail vein twice. HC was injected intramuscularly for 8 weeks. ZWD was administered by gavage for 8 weeks. The general condition was observed, 24-h urine protein was detected, serum corticosterone, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, TSH, testosterone, cAMP, and cGMP levels were determined, and pathological analysis was conducted. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were conducted to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs), and differentially expressed pathways (DEPs). The core DEMs and DEGs were input to Metaboanalyst 5.0 to identify the pathways affected by ZWD. Results: In the HC group, KYDP symptoms were observed. Compared with control group, the levels of 24-h urine protein, TSH, and cGMP significantly increased (all P

Objective: To explore the protective effect and potential mechanisms of danshen root (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., S. miltiorrhiza) and its extracts for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods: Preclinical studies of S. miltiorrhiza and its extracts on DN were systematically searched in nine databases. The primary outcomes were blood glucose, kidney function, proteinuria, and renal histopathology. The secondary outcomes included the related mechanisms. The methodological quality of animal studies was assessed based on the risk of bias tool of the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) for animal studies. Meta-analysis was performed using R software (version 4.1.2). Results: Twenty-nine animal experimental studies that met the eligibility criteria were included in this study. Compared to the control group, S. miltiorrhiza reduced the serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, 24-h urine protein, 24-h urine albumin, blood glucose, and kidney index (kidney weight/body weight), and alleviated renal pathological damage. In terms of the mechanism of action, compared to the control group, S. miltiorrhiza reduced the levels of transforming growth factor β1, collagen IV, malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and monocyte/macrophage (ED-1), and increased the levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, nuclear factor E2–related factor 2, and heme oxygenase-1. Conclusion: The existing evidence shows that S. miltiorrhiza has beneficial effects on the animal model of DN, and its mechanism is mainly related to improving kidney fibrosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response.

Objective: To explore the inhibitory effect of Tangshenping (TSP) on pyroptosis in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic nephropathy (DN) rat model. Methods: DN was established in Sprague–Dawley rats. Rats were randomly divided into DN (model group), irbesartan, and TSP low-, medium-, and high-dose groups, besides the control group. The 24 h albuminuria content, and serum content of TC, TGs, Scr, IL-1β, UREA, LDLs, and IL-18 were assessed. Hematoxylin & eosin and Mallory staining were performed to examine pathological changes in the kidney. The mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, caspase 1, and GSDMD in the kidney were also examined. Results: The 24 h albuminuria content was obviously lower in the treatment groups compared to the model group (all P