Abstract:

To explore the mechanisms of the beneficial effects of Niaoduqing， and to investigate the effects of Niaoduqing on expressions of renal transforming growth factorbetal, and tissue inhibition of metalloproteinase1, plasminogen activator inhibitor1 and osteopontin mRNAs in rats with Adriamycininduced nephropathy. MethodsThe male rats were randomly divided into four groups: the normal group(N group), the model group(M group), the Niaoduqing group(Ni group)and the Benazepril group(B group). 24hour urinary protein excretion  and renal function were determined at 4 and 8 weeks. Expressions of transforming growth factorbetal（TGFβ1）, tissue inhibition of metalloproteinase1( TIMP1), plasminogen activetor inhibitor1(PAI1) and osteopontin (OPN) mRNA were determined by realtime quantitative RTPCR. ResultsNiaoduqing and Benazepril effectively reduced the levels of 24hour  urinary protein excretion, Bun, and Scr, elevated protein levels, corrected fat metabolic disorder, and downregulated expressions of TGFβ1, TIMP1,　PAI1 and OPN mRNAs（P＜0.01）compared with the M group. Niaoduqing could significantly inhibit expression of PAI1 mRNA compared with that of Benazepril（P＜0.01）. ConclusionNiaoduqing can downregulate expressions of TGFβ1, TIMP1, PAI1 and OPN mRNAs in renal tissues of rats with Adriamycininduced nephropathy, which may be its active mechanism in treating chronic renal diseases.

Key words:  Niaoduqing; Adriamycin nephropathy; Transforming growth factorbetal; Tissue inhibition of metalloproteinase1; Plasminogen activatorinhibitor1;  Osteopontin; Rats; Model, animal