Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0011881 (diabetic nephropathy)
 10,836 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Diabetic nephropathy characterized as mesangial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis results in renal failure and end-stage renal diseases. Enhanced expression and secretion of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) play an important role in the expansion of glomerular mesangial matrix mostly composed of type IV collagen. Isoliquiritigenin can prevent various renal injuries via its anti-inflammatory action. However, the effect of isoliquiritigenin on diabetic nephropathy has never been explored. The present study was to investigate whether nontoxic isoliquiritigenin inhibited high glucose (HG)-induced mesangial fibrosis by retarding formation of type IV collagen as well as CTGF in human mesangial cells (HRMC). Serum starved cells were cultured in media containing 5.5 mM glucose plus 27.5 mM mannitol as an osmotic control or 33 mM glucose for 3 days with and without 1-20 microM isoliquiritigenin. Exposure of cells to HG caused marked increases in collagen secretion and CTGF expression, which was dose-dependently reversed by isoliquiritigenin at the transcriptional levels. Additionally, isoliquiritigenin boosted HG-plummeted type matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MT-1 MMP) expression and dampened HG-elevated tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 (TIMP-2) expression, facilitating the degradation of mesangial matrix. Isoliquiritigenin inhibited HG-upregulated CTGF and TIMP-2 expression via disturbing TGF-beta1 signaling in HRMC, as evidenced by TGF-beta receptor I kinase (TGF-beta RI) inhibitor. HG-activated SMAD2 through autocrine TGF-beta signaling was repealed by > or =10 microM isoliquiritigenin. HG induced SMAD4 expression of HRMC and obliterated antagonistic SMAD7, whereas isoliquiritigenin suppressed induction of TGF-beta RII and TGF-beta RI with blunting their downstream SMAD signaling. The results demonstrate that the bioactive isoliquiritigenin in licorice diminished mesangial matrix accumulation in response to ambient HG through retarding TGF-beta1-SMAD signaling transduction. Therefore, isoliquiritigenin may be a potential therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of mesangial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis leading to diabetic nephropathy due to longstanding diabetes mellitus.
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PMID:Isoliquiritigenin entails blockade of TGF-beta1-SMAD signaling for retarding high glucose-induced mesangial matrix accumulation. 2014 76

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) characterized as nephrotic syndrome and diffuse glomerulosclerosis can cause renal failure and end-stage kidney disease. Expansion of mesangial matrix around capillaries in the kidney glomeruli is a prominent feature of DN. This study investigated whether licorice extracts inhibited mesangial cell (MC) proliferation and matrix accumulation induced by high glucose (HG). Human renal MC were cultured in media containing 5.5 mM glucose plus 27.5 mM mannitol as an osmotic control or 33 mM glucose for 3 d in the presence of water or ethanol extracts from raw licorice (LW, LE) or roasted licorice (RLW, RLE). Non-polar components including glycyrrhetic acid were elevated during licorice roasting, whereas polar components soluble in water extracts were diminished. Exposure of cells to HG caused significant increases in collagen IV secretion and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression, which was appeased by RLW and RLE at transcriptional levels. The inhibitory potency was high in the order of RLE > or = RLW > or = LE > > LW. Non-polar glycyrrhetic acid but not glycyrrhizin retarded HG-stimulated mesangial matrix deposition through diminishing CTGF expression. In addition, RLW and RLE but not LW modulated membrane type matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MT-1 MMP) expression, MMP-2 activity and tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 (TIMP-2), which facilitated the degradation of mesangial matrix. Furthermore, the augmented expression of CTGF and TIMP-2 in HG-exposed cells was mediated by Akt activation and TGF-beta/Smad signaling through PKCbeta2-responsive signaling pathways. However, HG-down-regulated MT-1 MMP expression was independent of activation of ERK1/2 and Akt when using their inhibitors of DB98059 (ERK1/2) and LY294002 (Akt) alone or in combination. These results demonstrate that extracts from roasted licorice may be highly potent therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of mesangial fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis leading to diabetes nephropathy due to longstanding diabetes mellitus.
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PMID:Roasted licorice extracts dampen high glucose-induced mesangial hyperplasia and matrix deposition through blocking Akt activation and TGF-beta signaling. 2038 13

Metallothionein (MT) is an intracellular metal-binding, cysteine-rich protein, and is a potent antioxidant that protects cells and tissues from oxidative stress. Although the major isoforms MT-1 and -2 (MT-1/-2) are highly inducible in many tissues, the distribution and role of MT-1/-2 in diabetic nephropathy are poorly understood. In this study, diabetes was induced in adult male rats by streptozotocin, and renal tissues were stained with antibodies for MT-1/-2. MT-1/-2 expression was also evaluated in mProx24 cells, a mouse renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line, stimulated with high glucose medium and pretreated with the antioxidant vitamin E. MT-1/-2 expression was gradually and dramatically increased, mainly in the proximal tubular epithelial cells and to a lesser extent in the podocytes in diabetic rats, but was hardly observed in control rats. MT-1/-2 expression was also increased by high glucose stimulation in mProx24 cells. Because the induction of MT was suppressed by pretreatment with vitamin E, the expression of MT-1/-2 is induced, at least in part, by high glucose-induced oxidative stress. These observations suggest that MT-1/-2 is induced in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells as an antioxidant to protect the kidney from oxidative stress, and may offer a novel therapeutic target against diabetic nephropathy.
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PMID:High glucose increases metallothionein expression in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. 2196 Sep 90