[Effects of panax notoginseng saponins on the process of renal interstitial fibrosis after unilateral ureteral obstruction in rats].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on the process of renal interstitial fibrosis after unilateral ureteral obstruction in rats.

METHODS

In this study, female sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: Sham operation group (S group), Operation group (O group), and Operation plus PNS group (P group). The unilateral ureters of the rats were ligated as the operation to create renal interstitium fibrosis. The rats were sacrificed at postoperative days 3, 7, 14 and 21. After sacrifice, the obstructed kidneys of the rats were sliced to make pathological sections. The sections observed under light microscope to evaluate the results of hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining or proliferative cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) detected by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

After operation, the operated rats showed progressive renal interstitium fibrosis. The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin in renal tubular epithelial cell and interstitium increased significantly. In comparison with the rats of operation group, the PNS-treated rats had less alpha-smooth muscle actin in interstitium. In addition, PNS could significantly increase the number of cell expressed proliferative cell nuclear antigen in tubules.

CONCLUSIONS

The lesions of tubules-interstitium got worse and the renal interstitium showed progressive fibrosis gradually in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction. PNS was noted to have ameliorative effects on the fibrotic process of renal interstitium; it can block tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transdifferentiation.