ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the protective effects of ursolic acid (UA) on adriamycin nephropathy in mice. Methods: Totally 40 male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into normal group, model group, low dose of UA group and high dose of UA group. One-time injection of Adriamycin (ADR) at 10.0 mg/kg via tail vein was used to establish the model. Different doses of UA were administered to the mice in treatment groups from the first day after successful modeling. After 3 consecutive weeks, 24 h urine protein was measured, and BUN, Scr and TG as well as SOD, MDA and GSH were also measured. The IL-1β, TNF-α and TGF-β1 were measured by ELISA; SMAD2/3 phosphorylation and its target protein α-SMA expression were measured by Western Blot; pathological changes of renal tissues were observed. Results: Compared with the model group, UA can significantly reduce the urine protein, BUN, Scr, TG, MDA, IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β and SMAD2/3 phosphorylation and its target protein α-SMA expression while increasing the GSH and SOD, and the difference is significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Ursolic acid can protect against renal damage by inhibiting oxidative stress and reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines, which may be related to the inhibition of TGF-β1/Smads-related signaling pathway.