Objective; To determine the effect of berberine (BBR) on the pathological change and expression of bone morphogenetic protein-7 ( BMP-7) in the kidney of rats with early diabetic nephropathy ( DN). Methods; DN was induced by injection of streptozotocin (STZ). The rats were intragastrically administered with BBR and enalapril once daily. After 5 weeks, the kidney weight, 24-h urinary volume, kidney/body weight ratio, fasting blood glucose (FBG) , blood urea nitrogen (BUN) , serum creatinine ( Scr) , insulin (INS) , urinary protein (Upro) , and urinary microalbumin were tested. The pathological changes and ultrastructures in renal tissue were examined by optical or electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR were used to detect the expression of BMP-7 protein and mRNA in the renal tissues. Results; In BBR-treated rats, serum levels of FBG, BUN, Scr, Upro and UmAlb were decreased, while the insulin level increased. The expression of BMP-7 protein and mRNA in renal tissues was decreased. BBR ameliorated the pathological changes and tiltrastructureal lesions in the kidney of DN rats. Conclusion; BBR can obviously improve renal function and increase the expression of BMP-7 in the kidney, and delay the progression of diabetic nephropathy in DN rats.%目的:研究小檗碱(BBR)对糖尿病肾病(DN)大鼠肾组织病理变化与骨形成蛋白-7(BMP-7)蛋白及mRNA表达的影响,探讨BBR对DN大鼠早期肾脏损伤的作用及其可能机制.方法:以链脲佐菌素(STZ)复制早期DN大鼠模型,动物分为正常对照组、模型组、3个BBR(50,100,200 mg? kg-1)治疗组及依那普利(1 mg?kg-1)治疗组,灌胃给药,qd,5周后检测各组大鼠尿量、左肾重、肾重/体重比值；生化指标检测空腹血糖(FBG)、尿素氮(BUN)、血肌酐(Scr)、胰岛素(Ins)、24 h尿蛋白量(Upro)及24 h尿微量白蛋白(Um-Alb)；光镜和电镜观察肾组织形态学和超微结构的改变；免疫组化技术和逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)检测肾组织BMP-7蛋白和mRNA表达.结果:与模型组比较,BBR各治疗组DN大鼠FBG,BUN,Scr,Upro及UmAlb水平降低,Ins升高；肾组织形态学异常和超微结构病变改善；BMP-7蛋白和mRNA表达增多.结论:BBR可显著升高早期DN大鼠肾组织BMP-7蛋白及mRNA的表达,改善早期DN大鼠肾功能病变,延缓DN发展.
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