In the traditional Chinese medicine, polysaccharide of Hippophae rhamnoides (also known as sea buckthorn) has been widely used for the treatment of liver injuries or cardiovascular problems. The effect of the polysaccharide of H. rhamnoides on kidney injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis induced by biliopancreatic duct injection with sodium taurocholate was examined. The rats with severe acute pancreatitis showed series of degenerative changes in pancreas and kidney including inflammatory cell infiltration, edema, and necrosis that were diminished following treatment with the polysaccharide of Hippophae rhamnoides. Furthermore, sodium taurocholate injection also aggravated renal function with enhanced levels of proinflammatory cytokines, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and serum levels of amylase and lipase that were ameliorated by the polysaccharide. There was an upregulation of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, as well as downregulation of Bcl-2, in the rats model with SAP that diminished following polysaccharide treatment. Lastly, there was an activation of MAPK/NF-κB pathway in the rats exhibiting severe acute pancreatitis that was repressed by the polysaccharide of Hippophae rhamnoides.

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