Berberine Ameliorates Fibrosis In Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction Mice And TGF-β1-treated Fibroblasts

Background: Chronic kidney disease has become one of the most common basic diseases in the world.In its progression,renal fibrosis is the most common pathological change and the ultimate outcome.Therefore,finding a way to prevent,slow or even reverse renal fibrosis is crucial for the treatment of CKD.Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effect and mechanisms of berberine on renal interstitial fibrosis.Methods: Unilateral ureteral obstruction model of mice were established by surgical procedures and treated with vihicle or berberine for 7 days,with mice underwent sham operation as blank controls.Renal fibrosis phenotype was assessed by Masson trichrome staining.And fibrotic markers fibronectin(FN),α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)were detected by immunochemical staining and westernblot analysis.Fibroblasts NIH-3T3 and NRK-49 F treated with TGF-β1 were used as cell models,in which fibronectin,PCNA and Smad3/p-Smad3 was examined to evaluate the anti-fibrotic effect and mechanism of berberine.Results: Berberine treatment significantly alleviated renal fibrosis in UUO model,and decreased the expression levels of fibrotic markers fibronectin and α-SMA.Moreover,berberine treatment inhibited fibrosis,the activation of Smad3/p-Smad3 pathway,and PCNA expression in TGF-β1-induced NIH-3T3,NRK-49 F cell lines.Conclusions: Berberine treatment ameliorates renal interstitial fibrosis in UUO mouse models and has direct anti-fibrosis effect on fibroblasts by inhibiting TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway and cell proliferation.