Effect of Huai Qi Huang on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells through miR-200a

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells is a vital mechanism of renal fibrosis. Mounting evidence suggests that miR-200a expression decreases in tubular epithelial cells in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) rats. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that Huai Qi Huang (HQH) can ameliorate tubulointerstitial damage in adriamycin nephrosis and delay kidney dysfunction in primary glomerular disease. However, the effect of HQH on EMT of tubular epithelial cells in UUO rats and its molecular mechanism is unclear. In order to explore the effect of HQH on EMT and its molecular mechanism in renal fibrosis, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed in our study. Our results showed that HQH increased miR-200a expression in UUO rats and in TGF-β1 stimulated NRK-52E cells. Meanwhile, HQH decreased ZEB1 and ZEB2 (the transcriptional repressors of E-cadherin), α-SMA expression in renal tubular epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that HQH protected kidney from fibrosis in UUO rats. The results demonstrated that HQH regulated miR-200a/ZEBs pathway and inhibited EMT process, which may be a mechanism of protecting effect on tubular cells in renal fibrosis.