Antagonistic Effect of Jiawei Shengjiang San on a Rat Model of Diabetic Nephropathy: Related to EGFR/MAPK3/1 Signaling Pathway

Summary

Here, we present a protocol describing network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques to explore the mechanism of action of Jiawei Shengjiang San (JWSJS) in treating diabetic nephropathy.

Abstract

We aimed to delve into the mechanisms underpinning Jiawei Shengjiang San's (JWSJS) action in treating diabetic nephropathy and deploying network pharmacology. Employing network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques, we predicted the active components and targets of JWSJS and constructed a meticulous "drug-component-target" network. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were utilized to discern the therapeutic pathways and targets of JWSJS. Autodock Vina 1.2.0 was deployed for molecular docking verification, and a 100-ns molecular dynamics simulation was conducted to affirm the docking results, followed by in vivo animal verification. The findings revealed that JWSJS shared 227 intersecting targets with diabetic nephropathy, constructing a protein-protein interaction network topology. KEGG enrichment analysis denoted that JWSJS mitigates diabetic nephropathy by modulating lipids and atherosclerosis, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, apoptosis, and the HIF-1 signaling pathway, with mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), MAPK3, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (AKT1) identified as collective targets of multiple pathways. Molecular docking asserted that the core components of JWSJS (quercetin, palmitoleic acid, and luteolin) could stabilize conformation with three pivotal targets (MAPK1, MAPK3, and EGFR) through hydrogen bonding. In vivo examinations indicated notable augmentation in body weight and reductions in glycated serum protein (GSP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), uridine triphosphate (UTP), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels due to JWSJS. Electron microscopy coupled with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining highlighted the potential of each treatment group in alleviating kidney damage to diverse extents, exhibiting varied declines in p-EGFR, p-MAPK3/1, and BAX, and increments in BCL-2 expression in the kidney tissues of the treated rats. Conclusively, these insights suggest that the protective efficacy of JWSJS on diabetic nephropathy might be associated with suppressing the activation of the EGFR/MAPK3/1 signaling pathway and alleviating renal cell apoptosis.

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that affects multiple systems and can cause various complications due to continuous hyperglycemia, such as diabetic nephropathy (DN), retinopathy, and neuropathy¹. DN is a serious complication of DM, accounting for about 30%-50% of end-stage renal disease (ESRD)². Its clinical manifestation is microalbuminuria, which can progress to ESRD characterized by increased glomerular volume, mesangial stromal hyperplasia, and thickened glomerular basement membrane³. The pathogenesis of DN is complex and has not been fully elucidated. Clinical methods such as lowe....

Protocol

All animals were maintained and used in accordance with the US National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8^th Edition, and were reported as recommended in the ARRIVE guidelines^16,17. The study was conducted in accordance with the China National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine (DWLL2019030).

Discussion

Our study employed a combination of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vivo animal models. A critical step was the establishment of the "drug-component-target" network, which was crucial for identifying the potential mechanisms of JWSJS in treating DN, focusing particularly on its interaction with the EGFR/MAPK3/1 signaling pathway.

During this study, we made several modifications, particularly in the molecular docking process, to enhance the accuracy of our predi.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
2×SYBR Green qPCR Master Mix	Servicebio, Wuhan, China	G3320-05
24-h urine protein quantification (UTP)	Nanjing Jiancheng Institute of Biological Engineering	N/A
3,3'-Diaminobenzidine	Shanghai Huzheng Biotech, China	91-95-2
Automatic biochemical analysis instrument	Hitachi, Japan	7170A
Anhydrous Ethanol	Biosharp, Tianjin, China	N/A
BAX Primary antibodies	Affinity, USA	AF0120	Rat
BCL-2 Primary antibodies	Affinity, USA	AF6139	Rat
BX53 microscope	Olympus, Japan	BX53
Chloroform Substitute	ECOTOP, Guangzhou, China	ES-8522
Desmond software	New York, NY, USA	Release 2019-1
Digital Constant Temperature Water Bath	Changzhou Jintan Liangyou Instrument, China	DK-8D
EGFR Primary antibodies	Affinity, USA	AF6043	Rat
Embed-812 RESIN	Shell Chemical, USA	14900
Fasting blood glucose (FBG)	Nanjing Jiancheng Institute of Biological Engineering	N/A
FC-type full-wavelength enzyme label analyser	Multiskan; Thermo, USA	N/A
GAPDH  Primary antibodies	Affinity, USA	AF7021	Rat
Glycated serum protein (GSP)	Nanjing Jiancheng Institute of Biological Engineering	N/A
Transmission electron microscope	Hitachi, Japan	H-7650
Haematoxylin/eosin (HE) staining solution	Servicebio, USA	G1003
Image-Pro Plus	MEDIA CYBERNETICS, USA	N/A
Real-Time PCR Amplification Instrument	Applied Biosystems, USA	iQ5
Irbesartan tablets	Hangzhou Sanofi Pharmaceuticals	N/A
Isopropanol	Biosharp, Tianjin, China	N/A
JWSJS granules	Guangdong Yifang Pharmaceutical	N/A
Kodak Image Station 2000 MM imaging system	Kodak, USA	IS2000
Low-density cholesterol (LDL-C)	Nanjing Jiancheng Institute of Biological Engineering	N/A
MAPK3/1Primary antibodies	Affinity, USA	AF0155	Rat
Medical Centrifuge	Hunan Xiangyi Laboratory Instrument Development, China	TGL-16K
Mini trans-blot transfer system	Bio-Rad, USA	N/A
Mini-PROTEAN electrophoresis system	Bio-Rad, USA	N/A
NanoVue Plus Spectrophotometer	Healthcare Bio-Sciences AB, Sweden	111765
p-EGFR Primary antibodies	Affinity, USA	AF3044	Rat
Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining solution	Servicebio, USA	G1008
p-MAPK3/1 Primary antibodies	Affinity, USA	AF1015	Rat
Secondary antibodies	Santa Cruz, USA	sc-2357	Rabbit
Streptozotocin	Sigma, USA	S0130
SureScript First-Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit	GeneCopeia, USA	QP056T
TriQuick Reagent	Solarbio, Beijing, China	R1100
Ultra-Clean Workbench	Suzhou Purification Equipment, China	SW-CJ-1F