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This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. This article shows significant data duplication and overlap with Liu, Weihua et al., Effects of berberine on matrix accumulation and NF-kappa B signal pathway in alloxan-induced diabetic mice with renal injury. European Journal of Pharmacology. 2010 Jul 25; 638(1–3):150-5 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2010.04.033) without adequate referencing. Although there is a slight difference in the methodology section regarding alloxan-induced diabetes models in the two articles, there is a clear overlap between Table 2 of Lan, Tian et al. (2010); and Tables 1 and 2 of Liu, Weihua et al. (2010). The two manuscripts were submitted from the same laboratory in the same year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Berberine (BBR) was previously found to have beneficial effects on renal injury in experimental diabetic rats. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects are not fully understood. Sphingosine kinase–Sphingosine 1-phosphate (SphK–S1P) signaling pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of BBR on renal injury and the activation of SphK–S1P signaling pathway in alloxan-induced diabetic mice with nephropathy. Alloxan-induced diabetic mice were treated orally with BBR (300mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 12weeks. BBR inhibited the increases in fasting blood glucose, kidney/body weight ratio, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and 24-h albuminuria in diabetic mice. It also prevented renal hypertrophy, TGF-β1 synthesis, FN and Col IV accumulation. Moreover, BBR down-regulated the elevated staining, activity and levels of mRNA and protein of SphK1, and S1P production as well. These findings suggest that the inhibitory effect of BBR on the activation of SphK–S1P signaling pathway in diabetic mouse kidney is a novel mechanism by which BBR partly exerts renoprotective effects on DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We confirm the importance of berberine in ECM protein accumulation in DN. [•] We examine the regulation of RhoA/ROCK signaling by berberine in DN. [•] Berberine regulates NF-κB in DN. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]