Our main research area is how Chinese herbal medicine works to treat chronic kidney disease like IGA nephropathy. In this study, based on our clinical experience and treatment of IGA nephropathy, using Dioscorea Nipponica Rhizoma, abbreviation DNR, and our research result of the main active substance of DNR, we try to confirm the potential value of dioscin as one of the main active substance of DNR. And Discover is possible mechanism of action in the treatment of IGA nephropathy through in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Abnormal IgA1 production, that is the increased lactose deficient IgA1, is important in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy, and there is strong evidence that glycan associated lymphoid tissue plays a significant role in the production of galactose-deficient IgA1. In vitro experiments, we found that dioscin has a very distinct inhibitory effect on the proliferation of IgA-secreting cells, dark cell line at relatively low concentration, as well as an inhibitory effect on the secretion of GD-IgA1 by dark cells. These findings indicate that dioscin may have a potential therapeutic value for IGA nephropathy as well as disease linked to excessive B cell activation, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.

Due to the complexity of Chinese herbal ingredients, the study of the therapeutic mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine faces considerable difficulties, especially in cell experiments in which a mechanism discussion like ours, using the main active ingredient of a non-herbal medicine as the representative substance of the drug may be commonly adopted research method. And we hope these kinds of works may provide the foundation for the discovery of new drugs for natural medicine.