Baicalin Inhibits Renal Cell Apoptosis and Protects Against Acute Kidney Injury in Pediatric Sepsis

Abstract

BackgroundPediatric sepsis has high morbidity in children, may lead to acute kidney injury (AKI), and further aggravate the disease. Baicalin is a kind of flavonoid in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and has been reported to protect against several diseases, but its roles in septic AKI remain unclear. This study aimed to uncover the effects of baicalin in AKI during pediatric sepsis.Material/MethodsBlood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Cr) levels were detected in 50 pediatric patients, who underwent basic therapy with or without baicalin adjunctive therapy. Mouse sepsis models were constructed by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and treated with baicalin intragastrically, after which BUN and Cr examination, TUNEL apoptosis assay, and expression analyses of BAX and BCL2 were performed.ResultsBaicalin adjunctive therapy significantly decreased BUN and Cr levels in pediatric sepsis patients (P<0.05). CLP led to elevated BUN and Cr levels in the mouse model (P<0.01), indicating kidney injury accompanied by sepsis. Baicalin decreased BUN and Cr levels (P<0.05), and reduced the apoptotic cell percent in the renal tissue (P<0.05) of the CLP model. It inhibited BAX and promoted BCL2 in the renal tissue, which was consistent with cell apoptosis changes.ConclusionsBaicalin is capable of suppressing renal cell apoptosis and protecting against AKI in pediatric sepsis. This study provides a potential adjunctive therapy for treating AKI in pediatric sepsis, and further research is necessary to reveal its deeper mechanisms.

Geniposide ameliorated sepsis-induced acute kidney injury by activating PPARγ

“…The apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells is found in the patient’s renal biopsy specimen, in accordance with those of animal septic models where apoptosis emerged as a key factor in the pathogenesis of kidney failure [ 27 , 28 ]. Also, in CLP surgery-induced sepsis in mouse model, more apoptotic cells in kidney tissues were viewed than the control tissues, and the protective role of baicalin against acute kidney injury in pediatric sepsis might be due to its inhibition on renal cell apoptosis [ 29 ]. In the present study, a higher proportion of apoptotic cells in kidney tissues was also observed after CLP surgery in vivo as well as in HK-2 cells triggered by LPS in vitro .…”

Enteral Baicalin, a Flavone Glycoside, Reduces Indicators of Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in Rats

“…All procedures were in accordance with the guidelines of the National Institutes of Health for animal care. After 1 week of acclimatization period, the animals were divided randomly into five groups: Sham control group, CPB/CA control group, CPB/CA and baicalin (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg groups [12]. Specifically, group 1 (Sham) was normal rats.…”

“…Baicalin is a glycoside that is isolated from the leaves of Scutellaria galericulata , and is reported to exert protective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress, and to scavenge superoxide radicals [11, 12]. Baicalin protected against tissue damage in a rat periodontitis model, partially by inhibiting the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) [13].…”

Application of Herbal Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Acute Kidney Injury

“…Baicalin is a Scutellaria baicalensis -derived flavonoid which has been tested in multiple types of AKI models. In clinical trials, Baicalin protects against AKI in pediatric sepsis by inhibiting renal cell apoptosis (Zhu et al, 2016). In ischemia-reperfusion injured kidney, Baicalin (10 μmol/L for 24 h) exerts protective effects by inhibiting TLR2/4-mediated inflammation and mitochondrial stress-induced apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells (Ji et al, 2014).…”

“…These findings are supported by recent findings that Baicalin (50 mg/kg, i.p. for 2 weeks) prevents Lead (Pb)-induced renal injury and pediatric sepsis-induced AKI by blocking oxidative stress and apoptosis (Zhang et al, 2016; Zhu et al, 2016). Moreover, it is of note that baicalin is a novel PPAR-γ activator which may suppress NF-κB-mediated inflammation effectively (Lim et al, 2012).…”