Renal fibrosis is a common manifestation in the progression of chronic kidney
disease (CKD) to kidney failure. Currently, there is no available therapy to
prevent the progression of renal fibrosis. Poricoic acid A (PAA) isolated from
Poria cocos
shows notable antifibrotic effects. However,
its potential mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the
effects and the potential mechanisms of PAA against renal fibrosis. A mouse
model of renal fibrosis was established using unilateral ureteral obstruction
(UUO). We showed that PAA administration significantly alleviated renal lesions
and collagen deposition in UUO mice. Mice with UUO resulted in
epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the activation of endoplasmic
reticulum stress (ERS) in the renal tissues, while PAA treatment significantly
inhibited EMT and ERS activation. Additionally, PAA markedly alleviated
ERS-mediated apoptosis in UUO mice. Molecular docking results indicated that PAA
stably combined to GRP78 and ATF4. In conclusion, these results demonstrated
that PAA possesses a significant bioactivity against renal fibrosis and its
treatment mechanism might be the inhibition of ERS-mediated apoptosis.