Shenkangling plays a role of Yishenhuoxue effect for the treatment of children with
nephrotic syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Shenkangling intervention on the
mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in rats with
Adriamycin-induced nephropathy (AN) and its underlying mechanism of action.
Nephrosis was induced in healthy Sprague-Dawley rats by
doxorubicin and the rats were untreated or treated with
prednisone,
simvastatin, Shenkangling, or a combination thereof. Using real-time PCR, the
mRNA expression levels of
Chemokine (C-X-C motif)
ligand 16 (CXCL16), A
Disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10), and ADAM17 in the renal tissues of these rats were found to be decreased by the various treatments compared to those in the untreated
doxorubicin-induced
nephrosis rats. To quantify the activation of the MAPK pathway, western blotting was used to detect the phosphorylation levels of MAPK pathway-associated
proteins (p38, ERK1/2, SAPK/JNK) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, which were reduced by the various treatments compared to those in the untreated
doxorubicin-induced rats. Serum levels of
transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1,
tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α,
interleukin (IL)-1β, and
IL-6, quantified by ELISA, were decreased by the various treatments compared to the levels in the untreated
doxorubicin-induced
nephrosis rats. The rats treated with
prednisone,
simvastatin, and Shenkangling showed the best outcome. The Chinese medicine Shenkangling that is known for nourishing the kidney and promoting blood circulation reduced urinary
protein levels, increased
serum albumin levels, and reduced
cholesterol levels by reducing the release of CXCL16, ADAM10, ADAM17, TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL- 6, and other inflammatory mediators and inhibiting the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway, thereby effectively improving the state of nephropathy in AN rats. These results indicate that Shenkangling can be used clinically to treat nephropathy.