Therapeutic Potential of Extracts from Macaranga tanarius (MTE) in Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

Diabetic nephropathy is a complication of diabetes that leads to end-stage kidney disease and is a major health burden worldwide. Prenylflavonoid compounds extracted from Macaranga tanarius (MTE) exhibit anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial properties. However, the effects of these compounds on diabetic nephropathy remain unclear. The effects of MTE on diabetic nephropathy were investigated in vitro by using mouse renal mesangial cells and in vivo by using a db/db knockout mouse model. No overt alteration in proliferation was observed in mouse renal mesangial cells treated with 0–1 μg/mL MTE. Western blot analysis indicated that MTE dose-dependently attenuated the expression of fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin, and collagen IV. Administration of MTE ameliorated renal albumin loss in db/db mice. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that MTE mitigated diabetes-induced fibronectin and collagen IV expression. Periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) and trichrome staining also showed that administration of MTE reduced the renal fibrosis phenomenon. MTE significantly ameliorated diabetes-induced nephropathy.

Indonesian Euphorbiaceae: Ethnobotanical Survey, In Vitro Antibacterial, Antitumour Screening and Phytochemical Analysis of Euphorbia atoto

“…Infectious diseases, such as malaria, eye diseases, bloody diarrhoea, and sores, were also listed among its traditional applications. The pharmacological activities of the plant have been studied by several groups, and antidiabetic, antiacetylcholinesterase, cytotoxic, and antiherbivore activities were reported [13][14][15][16][17]. These activities can be attributed to the presence of numerous compounds, specifically prenylated flavonoids that have been isolated from this species [17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

Effects of a Ganoderma lucidum Proteoglycan on Type 2 Diabetic Rats and the Recovery of Rat Pancreatic Islets

“…T2D is thought to result from both insulin deficiency and insulin resistance . There have been many therapies against T2D, such as metformin, pioglitazone, acarbose, glibenclamide, and so on. − Natural products have many advantages for T2D treatment, such as preferable biosafety, multifunction, − and multiple active sites . Therefore, natural products are thought to be important for new-drug discovery …”