Liuwei Dihuang Pill Attenuates Diabetic Nephropathy by Inhibiting Renal Fibrosis via TGF-β/Smad2/3 Pathway

Among all the complications of diabetes, diabetic nephropathy is a significant factor causing the end-stage renal disease associated with high death rates. Current treatment fails to produce an ideal outcome. Thus, searching for a new preventive drug is urgently needed. Liuwei Dihuang pill (LDP), a popular ancient Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has been applied to treat DN-like syndromes according to TCM theory. Here, we had established an animal model with DN and LDP therapy was put into use to assess its therapeutic effect in vivo. Our data showed that oxidative stress and TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway-induced renal fibrosis could be observed in the DN animal model. However, the treatment of LDP impeded the generation of ROS and attenuated renal fibrosis-related proteins in damaged kidneys through interference in the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway. Our results indicated that LDP attenuated oxidative stress, accompanied by preventing the production of renal fibrosis through inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway.