Flavonoids in Combating Renal Fibrosis: Targeting NF-κB Signal and In Silico Support

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an overriding concern for many researchers and physicians as it causes unspeakable suffering and anguish among patients. Renal fibrosis is the hallmark of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), which can progress to death. The super-fuels for renal fibrosis are oxidative stress and inflammation. It occurs almost without exception in all CKD patients, but how it develops is still ambiguous. Flavonoids demonstrate tremendous fighting power against inflammation and oxidative stress in many diseases. NF-κB suppression has been deeply investigated in renal fibrosis, with phenomenally good outcomes. This review shed light on flavonoids' ability to beat renal fibrosis associated with NF-κB activation. Flavonoids such as apigenin, baicalin, diosmin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, genistein, isoliquiritigenin, naringin, puerarin, quercetin, silibinin, wogonin, biochanin A, and cardamonin exhibit promising antifibrotic effects through targeting NF-κB. Moreover, in silico studies showed that flavonoids displayed an outstanding inhibitory effect on NF-κB based on the energy of binding. They are well-fitted to the binding pocket of the target protein by forming hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic, and ionic interactions with the key amino acid residues. The outcomes revealed that silibinin, baicalin, and baicalein are the most powerful NF-κB inhibitors. In conclusion, through suppressing NF-κB signal, flavonoids display a dynamite performance in combating CKD and renal fibrosis.