Asiaticoside improves diabetic nephropathy by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis: An in vitro and in vivo study

Figure 4 Asiaticoside regulates high glucose-induced effects on rat glomerular mesangial cells by activating the NRF2/ heme oxygenase-1 pathway. A: Western blot analysis of the NRF2 protein expression and total heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (Quinone) 1 (NQO-1) protein expression in the nucleus of rat glomerular mesangial (HBZY-1) cells treated with asiaticoside (AC) at different concentrations (0, 2, 4, and 8 μM) and glucose (30 mmol/L); B: Western blot analysis of NRF2 protein expression and total HO-1 and NQO-1 protein expression in the nucleus of HBZY-1 cells treated with AC (8 μM), glucose (30 mmol/L), and ML385 (NRF2 inhibitor, 5 μM); C: Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels in the supernatant of HBZY-1 cells; D: Reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase in HBZY-1 cells; E: Western blot analysis of the expression levels of collagen I, collagen IV, fibronectin, and β-actin in HBZY-1 cells. n = 3 experiments. ^aP < 0.001 vs control, ^bP < 0.001 vs Glu (30 mmol/L), ^cP < 0.01, and ^dP < 0.001 vs Glu (30 mmol/L) + AC (8 μM). AC: Asiaticoside; Glu: Glucose.