The potential of tongxinluo for treating diabetic nephropathy

A team of researchers from Capital Medical University in China looked at the potential of tongxinluo, a traditional Chinese medicine, in treating diabetic nephropathy. Their findings on tongxinluo’s possible mechanism of action were published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

• In an earlier study, the same team of researchers found that high-glucose-treated glomerular endothelial cells produced an increased number of exosomes that contain transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-B1) in order to activate glomerular mesangial cells.
• Glomerular mesangial cell activation via TGF-B1/Smad3 signaling pathway is believed to contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy.
• The research team also found that tongxinluo has beneficial effects on the treatment of diabetic nephropathy in diabetic patients and Type 2 diabetic mice.
• In the current study, they determined whether or not tongxinluo could improve the structure and function of the kidneys by suppressing the intercellular transfer of TGF-B1-containing exosomes from glomerular endothelial cells to glomerular mesangial cells.
• They found that tongxinluo can suppress the secretion of TGF-B1-containing exosomes from high-glucose-treated glomerular endothelial cells.
• In addition, they found that treatment with tongxinluo can suppress glomerular mesangial cell activation, proliferation, and extracellular matrix overproduction both in vitro and in vivo.

These findings demonstrated that inhibition of TGF-B1 transfer from glomerular endothelial cells to glomerular mesangial cells via exomes may be a possible mechanism of tongxinluo in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.

To read more studies on natural diabetes treatments, visit DiabetesCure.news.

Journal Reference:

Wu, X., Gao, Y., Xu, L., Zou, D., Zhu, Z., Wang, X., . . . Dang, W. TONGXINLUO INHIBITS RENAL FIBROSIS IN DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY: INVOLVEMENT OF THE SUPPRESSION OF INTERCELLULAR TRANSFER OF TGF-?1-CONTAINING EXOSOMES FROM GECS TO GMCS. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 29 June 2017; 45(05): 1075-1092. DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X17500586