The Protective Effect of Shen Qi Wan on Adenine-Induced Podocyte Injury

Podocytes are a special type of differentiated epithelial cells that maintain the glomerular filtration barrier in the kidney. Injury or damages in podocytes can cause kidney-related disorders, like CKD. The injury or dysfunction of podocytes can occur by different metabolic disorders. Due to the severity and complexity of podocyte injuries, this state is considered as a serious health issue worldwide. Here, we examined and addressed the efficacy of an alternative Chinese medicine, Shen Qi Wan (SQW), on podocyte-related kidney injury. We evaluated the role and mechanism of action of SQW in podocyte injury. We observed that SQW significantly reduced 24-hour urinary protein and blood urea nitrogen levels and alleviated the pathological damage caused by adenine. Moreover, SQW significantly decreased the expression of nephrin and increased the expression of WT1 and AQP1 in the kidney of mice treated with adenine. We observed that SQW did not effectively reduce the high level of proteinuria in AQP1^-/- mice indicating the prominent role of AQP1 in the SQW-ameliorating pathway. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicated the food processes effacement in AQP1^-/- mice were not lessened by SQW. In conclusion, podocyte injury could alter the pathological nature of the kidney, and SQW administration relieves the nature of pathogenesis by activating AQP1.