Poricoic acid A attenuates renal fibrosis by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis

Braz J Med Biol Res. 2024 Nov 25:57:e14249. doi: 10.1590/1414-431X2024e14249. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Renal fibrosis is a common manifestation in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to kidney failure. Currently, there is no available therapy to prevent the progression of renal fibrosis. Poricoic acid A (PAA) isolated from Poria cocos shows notable antifibrotic effects. However, its potential mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects and the potential mechanisms of PAA against renal fibrosis. A mouse model of renal fibrosis was established using unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). We showed that PAA administration significantly alleviated renal lesions and collagen deposition in UUO mice. Mice with UUO resulted in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in the renal tissues, while PAA treatment significantly inhibited EMT and ERS activation. Additionally, PAA markedly alleviated ERS-mediated apoptosis in UUO mice. Molecular docking results indicated that PAA stably combined to GRP78 and ATF4. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that PAA possesses a significant bioactivity against renal fibrosis and its treatment mechanism might be the inhibition of ERS-mediated apoptosis.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis* / drug effects
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP*
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress* / drug effects
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / drug effects
  • Fibrosis*
  • Kidney / drug effects
  • Kidney / pathology
  • Kidney Diseases / drug therapy
  • Kidney Diseases / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Ureteral Obstruction / drug therapy
  • Ureteral Obstruction / pathology

Substances

  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
  • Hspa5 protein, mouse

Grants and funding

This study was supported by National Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi (Grant Nos. 2022-JQ-920 and 2023-JC-QN-0966), Basic Research Program of Xi'an Municipal Health Commission (Grant No. 2022yb41), Medical Research Program of Xi'an Science and Technology Bureau (Grant No. 23YXYJ0106), and the Foundation of Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital (Grant Nos. 2023QN04 and 2021QN026).