Inhibitory Effects of Ligustrazine, a Modulator of Thromboxane-Prostacycline-Nitric Oxide Balance, on Renal Injury in Rats with Passive Heyman Nephritis

Abstract

Aims: To explore the effects of ligustrazine on proteinuria, urinary TxB₂ (metabolism of thromboxane A₂, TxA₂) and 6-keto-PGF_1α(metabolism of prostacyclines I₂, PG I₂), glomerular inducible nitric oxide(NO) synthase (iNOS) mRNA, urinary NO^–₃/NO^–₂ (decomposing products of NO) and pathological changes in rats with passive Heymann nephritis (PHN). Methods: A rat PHN model was induced by intravenous injection of rabbit anti-rat renal tubular antigen (Tub-Ag) antiserum, and ligustrazine was given intraperitoneally into PHN rats every 2 days for 1–5 weeks. Then, proteinuria, urinary TxB₂ and 6-keto-PGF_1α, glomerular iNOS mRNA, and urinary NO^–₃/NO^–₂ were measured by sulfosalicylic acid, radioimmunoassay (RIA), Northern blot and nitric acid reductase methods, respectively. Moreover, the damage to the renal tissue of the rats was observed under light and electron microscopy and immunofluorescence (IF). Results: The urinary TxB₂ in PHN rats was significantly higher than that in control rats, but the PHN rats treated with ligustrazine had significantly less proteinuria, urinary TxB₂ and tissue lesions, and more urinary 6-keto-PGF_1α, glomerular iNOS mRNA and urinary NO^–₂/NO^–₃ than the PHN rats without the administration of ligustrazine. Conclusion: These data indicate that ligustrazine has inhibitory roles on the glomerular injury of PHN rats, which may associate with modulating the balance of TxA₂-PGI₂ and elevating synthesis of NO to a certain extent.

Cordyceps militaris fruit body extract ameliorates membranous glomerulonephritis by attenuating oxidative stress and renal inflammation via the NF-κB pathway

“…3. As a higher level of 6-keto-PGF1α was observed during renal injury, 23 6-keto-PGF1α was also analyzed in our study. MGN rats exhibited a significant increase in the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-6 compared with normal control rats (P < 0.01; Fig.…”