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Updated: Mar 13, 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
Huangkui capsule mitigates diabetic nephropathy via epigenetic therapy effects
Yihong Yu1,2, Haitao Tang3, Nan Li4
1Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
Background:
Huangkui capsule (HKC), a Chinese herbal medicine derived from Abelmoschus manihot (L.) ethanol extract, has clinical efficacy against diabetic nephropathy (DN). Our research group has actively engaged in exploring the efficacy of HKC in treating DN. The underlying pharmacological mechanisms have progressively become clearer but its epigenetic mechanisms remain unclear.
Objective:
To elucidate HKC's epigenetic role in the treatment of DN.
Methods:
Db/db mice (a type 2 diabetes/DN model) were orally administered HKC or vehicle for 4 weeks. Kidney tissues underwent whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and transcriptome profiling to assess DNA methylation and gene expression patterns.
Results:
HKC significantly reduced urinary albumin/creatinine ratios, indicating renal protection. Comparative methylation analysis revealed HKC regulated the distribution of 5 mC by modulating Tet2 expression, thereby influencing abnormal methylation patterns in DN. Integrative analysis identified 12 DN-associated genes with reversed methylation and expression post-HKC treatment, including Cdk8, Pde4d, Pisd-ps3, and Zc3h7a, which showed high susceptibility to DN progression and HKC intervention. Functional annotation linked these genes to immune regulation, synaptic signaling, and Notch pathways.
Conclusion:
This study provides the first evidence that HKC ameliorates DN through epigenetic therapy effects, specifically by restoring DNA methylation and transcriptional activity of renal target genes. Further biological experiments to validate these findings are necessary.
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