Analysis of gene expression and functional changes of adrenal gland in a rat model of kidney yang deficiency syndrome treated with Sini decoction

Abstract

decoction (SND), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, has been used to treat kidney deficiency for ~1,800 years. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of SND treatment on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones in a rat model of deficiency and to explore the molecular mechanisms using microarray analysis of adrenal glands and adrenocortical cell culture systems. The results indicated that SND treatment recovered circulating serum cortisol, adrenocortical hormone (ACTH) and testosterone levels in a y deficiency model. Immunohistochemical analysis of pituitary and hypothalamic tissues confirmed increased expression of ACTH and corticotropin-releasing factor, respectively, in response to SND treatment. Microarray analysis identified a marked upregulation of genes involved in ≤metabolic and stress response pathways in rat adrenal tissues in response to SND treatment, exemplified by cyclooxygenase-2 and nuclear factor (NF)-κB. , SND exerted a protective effect on mitochondria in response to HO exposure also activated NF-κB and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein reporter gene activity. These results contributed towards an improved understanding of how SND effectively alleviates the symptoms of kidney deficiency syndrome at the molecular level.

High-throughput liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry-driven lipidomics discover metabolic biomarkers and pathways as promising targets to reveal the therapeutic effects of the Shenqi pill

“…Steroid hormone synthesis pathway is an important pathway in the KYDS model, abnormal steroid levels are common in patients with KYDS. 93,94 In our study, the steroid content in KYDS model of rats was obviously different from the control group, whereas SQP group can effectively reverse 5betapregnane-3,20-dione and pregnenolone in steroid hormone synthesis pathway (P < 0.05).…”

Selection and validation of optimal endogenous reference genes for analysis of quantitative PCR in four tissues pathologically associated with Kidney‑yang deficiency syndrome following influenza A infection

“…For the evaluation of the expression of the KYDS-virus infection patterns, the 10 most frequently used and recommended candidate reference genes from literature were selected ( 17 , 20 , 22 , 28 , 29 ). Following the qPCR assays, the performance of each amplification primer set was examined.…”

“…KYDS and influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) virus infection causes broad ranging variations in gene expression, which form the molecular basis of the biological effects of KYDS following infection with influenza A virus (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23). To further understand the mechanisms underlying KYDS following infection with influenza A, with the aim of developing an effective treatment for this disease, the changes in gene transcription during infection need to be determined and understood.…”

“…In the present study, 10 candidate reference genes [β-actin (Actβ), β2 microglobulin (β2m), GAPDH, β-glucuronidase (Gusβ), α-tubulin (Tubα), Gene rich cluster, C10 gene (Grcc10), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4H (Eif4h), ring finger protein 187 (Rnf187), neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally down-regulated gene 8 (Nedd8), and tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein, epsilon polypeptide (Ywhae)] that are suitable for use as internal reference genes for normalizing gene expression were selected (17,20,22,28,29). The consistency of expression of these genes in a mouse model of KYDS subsequently infected with A/H1N1 virus, or with a mock control, were assessed in tissue samples from four different organs using 4 statistical algorithms: NormFinder; geNorm; Bio-Rad Maestro; and BestKeeper.…”

Systems biology approaches in the study of Chinese herbal formulae

“…In addition, genomics has been used to analyze therapeutic targets of CHF and to predict other potential drugs. Tang et al [21] examined therapy using Sini decoction (SND) on kidney yang deficiency in a rat model. Using an mRNA microarray with enrichment analysis, Wang et al found that SND treatment can improve hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis hormones.…”