Review of Herbal Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most serious chronic complications of diabetes; 20–40% of diabetic patients develop into end stage renal disease (ESRD). However, exact pathogenesis of DN is not fully clear and we have great difficulties in curing DN; poor treatment of DN led to high chances of mortality worldwide. A lot of western medicines such as ACEI and ARB have been demonstrated to protect renal function of DN but are not enough to delay or retard the progression of DN; therefore, exploring exact and feasible drug is current research hotspot in medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used to treat and control diabetes and its complications such as DN in a lot of scientific researches, which will give insights into the mechanism of DN, but they are not enough to reveal all the details. In this paper, we summarize the applications of herbal TCM preparations, single herbal TCM, and/or monomers from herbal TCM in the treatment of DN in the recent 10 years, depicting the renal protective effects and the corresponding mechanism, through which we shed light on the renal protective roles of TCM in DN with a particular focus on the molecular basis of the effect and provide a beneficial supplement to the drug therapy for DN.

Ski‐related novel protein suppresses the development of diabetic nephropathy by modulating transforming growth factor‐β signaling and microRNA‐21 expression

“…Activation of interstitial fibroblasts together with EMT can result in abnormal ECM accumulation, a hallmark of interstitial fibrosis, and eventually DN (Adeshara et al, ; Jha et al, ; Reddy et al, ; Scully, ; Sun et al, ). In this study, we showed in rat and NRK‐52E cell models that activation of the TGF‐β pathway is critical to DN pathogenesis by promoting EMT and excessive ECM deposition.…”

Effect of berberine on the renal tubular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by inhibition of the Notch/snail pathway in diabetic nephropathy model KKAy mice

“…DN is still one of the main causes of chronic renal failure,37 and its treatment is far more complicated than that of general kidney disease, with a poor prognosis. Currently, western medicine mainly works to regulate the blood glucose, blood lipids, and blood pressure and to improve the microcirculation to control the disease; however, due to the lack of effective drug treatment, it is difficult to prevent the development of the disease 38. The etiology of DN is complex, and its pathogenesis, which involves many factors, is still unclear.…”

Chinese medicine for diabetic kidney disease in China

“…In China, numerous CHMs are prescribed for DKD . The efficacies of classic Chinese prescriptions, such as Bawei Dihuang pill (八味地黄丸), Guizhi Fuling pill (桂枝茯苓丸), Liuwei Dihuang pill (六味地黄丸) and Wenpi decoction (温脾汤), have been validated by clinical trials .…”