Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking to Decipher the Action of Jiawei Shengjiang San Against Diabetic Kidney Disease
Published on: May 10, 2024
Ursolic Acid provides kidney protection in diabetic rats
Chen Ling1, Lu Jinping1, Li Xia1
1Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Background:
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most serious microvascular complications of diabetes and the leading cause of end-stage renal failure. However, the treatment of DN is still a problem in the world. Inflammatory process plays a critical role in the development of DN. Therefore, anti-inflammatory treatment of DN is worth exploring now and in the future.
Objective:
The study aimed to evaluate the impact of ursolic acid (UA) on renal function in streptozotocin-induced diabetes.
Methods:
Rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes were treated with UA for 16 weeks. After 16 weeks, urine albumin excretion, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen were measured. In addition, renal oxidative stress level, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activity, P-selectin expression, and kidney histopathologic changes were evaluated.
Results:
Sixteen weeks following streptozotocin injection, the rats produced significant alteration in renal function and increased oxidative stress, NF-κB activity, and P-selectin expression in the kidneys. Interestingly, UA significantly prevented biochemical and histopathologic changes in the kidneys associated with diabetes. Compared with untreated diabetic rats, UA treatment lowered urine albumin excretion, renal oxidative stress level, NF-κB activity, and P-selectin expression. Moreover, UA treatment also improved renal histopathologic changes in rats with diabetes.
Conclusions:
UA treatment exhibited a protective effect on kidneys in diabetic rats, implying that UA could be a potential treatment for diabetic nephropathy.
More Related Videos
10:31Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Whole Kidney, Medulla, and Cortical Tubules in Diabetic Pathogenesis of Kidney Injury in Mice
Published on: May 2, 2025
08:505/6th Nephrectomy in Combination with High Salt Diet and Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibition to Induce Chronic Kidney Disease in the Lewis Rat
Published on: July 3, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Acute Kidney Injury IV: Diagnostic Studies and Prevention
Diabetic Nephropathy
Heart Failure Drugs: Inhibitors of Renin-Angiotensin System
Antihypertensive Drugs: Potassium-Sparing Diuretics
Antihypertensive Drugs: Direct Renin Inhibitors
Antihypertensive Drugs: Action of Diuretics