Effects of Danggui Buxue Tang, a traditional Chinese herbal decoction, on high glucose-induced proliferation and expression of extracellular matrix proteins in glomerular mesangial cells

Abstract

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage failure of the kidney, but the efficacy of currently available strategies for the prevention of DN remains unsatisfactory. In this study, we investigated the effects of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a Chinese herbal decoction prepared from Radix Astragali (RA) and Radix Angelicae sinensis (RAS), on high glucose-induced proliferation and expression of laminin, type IV collagen (collagen IV) and fibronectin in glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs). The cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay, and the expression of collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin in GMCs was detected by ELISA assay. It was shown that high glucose clearly induced the proliferation of GMCs and increased the release of collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin. Treatment with RA, RAS and DBT inhibited cell proliferation and the expression of collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin induced by high glucose, with DBT, especially at the highest concentration (DBT20), exhibiting a stronger effect than RA and RAS alone. Thus, it is concluded that DBT inhibits increased cell proliferation and the expression of major extracellular matrix proteins that are induced by high glucose, indicating its value for prophylaxis and therapy of DN at the early stages.

Total glucosides of Danggui Buxue Tang attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis via inhibition of extracellular matrix remodelling

“…[8,9] Moreover, DBT inhibits increased cell proliferation and the expression of major extracellular matrix proteins, exhibiting a stronger effect than either RA and RAS alone. [10] Previous results have indicated that DBT has antihepatic fibrosis effects in rats; the optimized weight ratio of the extraction that had the best general effects was 5 : 1 for RA/RAS, which, interestingly, is in accordance with the weight ratio used in ancient preparations. [11] Our previous studies suggested that total glucosides of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBTG) have protective action against lung fibrosis in rats via a reduction of proinflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor a and transforming growth factor b1) or a decrease of ECM deposition via inhibition of type I collagen expression in lung tissues.…”

“…Indeed, recent pharmacological studies indicated that DBT has the ability to promote haematopoietic function, stimulate cardiovascular circulation, prevent osteoporosis, increase antioxidation activity and stimulate the immune system [8,9] . Moreover, DBT inhibits increased cell proliferation and the expression of major extracellular matrix proteins, exhibiting a stronger effect than either RA and RAS alone [10] . Previous results have indicated that DBT has antihepatic fibrosis effects in rats; the optimized weight ratio of the extraction that had the best general effects was 5 : 1 for RA/RAS, which, interestingly, is in accordance with the weight ratio used in ancient preparations [11] .…”

Evaluation of safety of modified-Danggui Buxue Tang in rodents:immunological, toxicity and hormonal aspects

“…And no significant changes were observed in the electrolytes levels, suggesting that RRF did not affect the function and equilibrium of body fluid. It is noteworthy that the levels of blood glucose and triglyceride markedly decreased in the dose groups, compared to respective controls, indicating that RRF might exert hypoglycemic and lipid-modulating activity, which in some extent corresponded with previous reports of similar pharmacological activities of DBT (Kea et al, 2012;Zhang et al, 2007).…”

Effects of <i>Astragalus</i> Combined with <i>Angelica</i> on Bone Marrow Hematopoiesis Suppression Induced by Cyclophosphamide in Mice

“…The most popular formulation is Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) composed of Astragalus and Angelica at a 5 : 1 ratio, which is mainly used to treat anemia due to various causes via promoting hematopoiesis. 1) In recent years, studies have shown that DBT also has other pharmacological effects, such as enhancing immunity, 2) antagonizing diabetic nephropathy, 3) cardiovascular protection, 4) anti-fibrosis, 5,6) estrogen-like effect, 7,8) among others. Concerning the hematopoietic function of the AstragalusAngelica combination, most studies have revealed that Astragalus mixed with Angelica at 5 : 1 can strongly promote hematopoiesis.…”