Reno-Protective Effect of Realgar Nanoparticles on Lupus Nephritis of MRL/Lpr Mice through STAT1

• Published in: Iranian journal of immunology 2019-06, Vol.16 (2), p.170-181
• Main Authors: Xu, Weidong, Chen, Zheng, Shen, Xiaodong, Pi, Chiheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-DNA antibodies; Arsenic; Arsenicals - chemistry; Arsenicals - therapeutic use; Creatinine; Cytokines - metabolism; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin M; Immunohistochemistry; Inflammation Mediators - metabolism; Inflammatory diseases; jak1/stat1 signaling pathway; Janus kinase; Janus Kinase 1 - metabolism; Kidney - pathology; Kidneys; Kinases; Lupus; Lupus nephritis; Lupus Nephritis - therapy; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred MRL lpr; mrl/lpr mice; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanoparticles - therapeutic use; Nephritis; Oral administration; p-stat 1; Polymerase chain reaction; Proteinuria; realgar nanoparticle; RNA-directed DNA polymerase; Serum levels; Signal Transduction; Stat1 protein; STAT1 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Sulfides - chemistry; Sulfides - therapeutic use; Toxicity; Traditional Chinese medicine; Transcription; Urea; γ-Interferon
• ISSN: 1735-1383; 1735-367X
• DOI: 10.22034/iji.2019.80260

Realgar, an arsenic tetrasulfide compound, is a highly recognized traditional Chinese medicinal prescription that has been widely used to treat various diseases such as inflammatory diseases. However, there are still some problems in the clinical treatment of Realgar, such as large oral dose and high potential toxicity. To evaluate effects of Realgar nanoparticles on lupus nephritis (LN) in vivo in MRL/lpr mice. Ten-week mice were orally administered every day for eight consecutive weeks except the mice of normal model groups. The serum levels of anti-ds-DNA antibody IgG, IgM, IFN-γ, Creatinine (Cr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were determined, and 24-hour urine protein was also measured. Renal inflammatory pathology analysis was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. The expression of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (p-STAT 1) and Janus Kinase 1 (JAK 1) in kidney tissue was determined by direct reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The mice treated with Realgar nanoparticle in the high dose-treated (Realgar HD, 0.03 g/kg/d) group exhibited significantly reduced serum levels of anti-dsDNA (p