Study on the mechanism of Phellinus igniarius total flavonoids in reducing uric acid and protecting uric acid renal injury in vitro

BACKGROUND: Uric acid nephropathy (UN) is a complication of hyperuricemia (HUA), which has a great impact on people's lives. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of total flavonoids of Phellinus igniarius (TFPI) in vivo and studied the anti UN effect of TFPI in vitro. METHODS: Hyperuricemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of potassium oxonate in ICR mice. After intervention with TFPI, we evaluated the levels of serum uric acid (UA) and creatinine (CR), and the contents of xanthine oxidase (XOD) and adenosine deaminase (ADA) in liver. To explore the effect and molecular mechanism of TFPI on UN, we treated HK-2 cells with monosodium urate (MSU) to study the effect of TFPI on apoptosis and inflammation. In addition, to explore the mechanism of TFPI on uric acid transport we evaluated the relationship between uric acid transporter ABCG2 and inflammatory signaling pathway TLR4-NLRP3. RESULTS: In the model mice, TFPI significantly decreased the levels of UA and Cr, which may be related to the inhibition of XOD enzyme activity. In HK-2 cells, the response of TFPI to MSU can effectively inhibit apoptosis and activation of TLR4-NLRP3 signaling pathway and promote the expression of ABCG2. CONCLUSIONS: TFPI can significantly inhibit the release of inflammatory factors and promote the expression of ABCG2 by targeting TLR4 receptor and NLRP3 inflammasome. And targeted inhibition of XOD enzyme activity to reduce uric acid level and inhibit the development of UN.