Yishen Jiangzhuo decoction attenuates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury by inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis through the TNF signal pathway

We aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Yishen Jiangzhuo decoction (YSJZD) in a mouse model of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). The mice were divided into the NC, cisplatin, and cisplatin + YSJZD groups. A concentration-dependent effect of YSJZD on cisplatin-induced AKI was observed, and the optimal concentration for intervention was calculated. Changes in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels combined with hematoxylin & eosin and periodic acid-Schiff staining, and transmission electron microscopy observations indicated that YSJZD enhanced renal function, reduced pathological injury, and protected renal tubular epithelial cells in cisplatin-induced AKI mice. The results of the transcriptomic and enrichment analyses showed that the mechanisms of YSJZD may be associated with inflammation, oxidation, apoptosis, and the TNF signal pathway. Immunofluorescence, oxidative stress index, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, and western blotting (WB) revealed that YSJZD downregulated apoptosis in the renal tissues of AKI mice, and further decreased the expression levels of p-p65, p-p38 MAPK, tumor necrosis factor -α, cleaved-caspase-3, and malondialdehyde, while increasing the levels of SIRT3, GSH, and SOD. Overall, the results showed that YSJZD could effectively abrogate cisplatin-induced AKI in mice through mechanisms primarily related to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiapoptotic effects by inhibited the TNF signal pathway. YSJZD warrants further investigation as a clinical empirical prescription.